Friday, July 13, 2012

A Sad Friday Night

This is Clarabelle, aka "Sherman".


One of the Turkettes, she is so very tame and follows me around a lot. Recently, she has been nesting in the pasture, where I left high grass for the girls to lay their eggs.

Yesterday, I noticed she was hanging a wing down. 

I looked underneath, and found an area that appeared to be 5 x 5, where skin had been pulled off by a predator, probably a raccoon.

I treated it with iodine spray three times, I have a real fear of maggots, having lost a wonderful goose to a maggot infection.

Today, Keith and I gently held her to doctor her, and we discovered the wound is much more grievous than I thought, that it extends down into the leg, and is deep. 
So far, no maggots, but Keith who is ALWAYS an optimist, doubts that it's survivable. 
We are watching her, and I have antibiotic spray to put on it.  She cannot fly up to their "roost", the roof of a dog house in the little henyard, so Keith has put them in for the night, and Annabelle is up on the roost.  Clara cannot get up there.  We don't know if the attack occurred in the pasture... or if a raccoon came over the top and down into the henyard and got her during the night. 
Keith has promised me that she will not suffer like Samantha did, whose infection we found far too late. 
So far she is eating and drinking, and walking with a real limp, very slowly.  It hurts my heart that this good girl who is so trusting is in pain.
Keith will do the right thing if we think the pain is too great for her, but darn it... it's a fact of life on a farm that you can't get around.
Would the raccoon have come in with the llamas here?  We don't know that.
We know possums always have, so we are not blaming ourselves, it's just nature.
It still hurts.

Linking tonight with Farmchick, for Farm Photo Fridays.

9 comments:

  1. I am so sorry about Clarabelle. I know you love these chickys as if they were your children. You always take such good care of them. But somethings are out of your control- like you said,,, Nature.
    I hope she gets better soon. I know you are very sad about this. I am too.
    I think your very specials to take her to the dr.
    You are doing all you can,.
    love
    tweedles

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  2. Best wishes for Clarabelle. Death and injury are facts of life, just hate experiencing them.

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  3. So sorry to hear about this. I hate that it's an impossible challenge to keep those animals safe.

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  4. Keith has it, there`s always a chance for survival, sounds like you caught it early. Good luck.

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  5. Poor Clarabelle,
    We have two eagles that nest somewhere nearby..or falcons, or hawks..not too sure.. sometime last year , one of them swooped down to the chicken run and picked two chicks up and flew off with them. We have mongoose here and ferrets..they sneak up at night and kill the chickens.. sometimes they just kill and don't eat them.
    So sorry to hear about her. I am sure with your love and care she will recover.
    Some of the farmers here around, put chicken wire over the fence as well.. its got to be very small holed wire. good luck.. Its hard living with animals , especially when we love them so much.
    val

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  6. Two summers ago, a great horned owl that had previosly gotten several of our chickens tried to get one of our nearly-grown turkeys. Like yours, our turkeys are like pets, following us everywhere, untying our shoes...
    Our daughter heard the commotion and threw her shoes at the owl and he let go and flew off, but the turkey had a huge wound between her neck and back. She did survive and heal over (featherless in that spot, though.) Best wishes for Clarabelle to do the same!

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  7. I'm so sorry. It hurts my heart too. I hope she gets better. Sounds silly, but she is loved. Terah

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  8. Yes it is sad. Hope she recovers with all your tender care.

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  9. She might be okay. If you had seen the hen that was attacked by the dog, you would not have thought she would have made it.

    She's well and kicking still.

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