06/09/2026
Happy Tuesday Y'all 🌷 Unfortunately this sweet boy had to be culled. He had been housed in the turkey run with other bantams for close to a year so I did not foresee any issues arising.
I found him brutally mauled by the turkeys about two weeks ago. I isolated him to heal up since his wounds seemed superficial and he had the will to live. Several days into isolation, I thought he was doing great. He was eating and drinking, though notably very sore, and he would talk to me and dance when he saw me.
One morning he lost the ability to use his body properly, from what we know now is a spinal cord injury from the attack. I thought at first maybe a nerve was pinched and he needed a couple more days to heal since he was doing so well just yesterday, but it never got better.
He could still use his back legs and move his head but he could not lift himself up nor could he expand his wings. He spent his last couple days scooting around on the ground to access his food and water, in the hopes that this is temporary and he would get better.
After another week I decided to call it because I couldn't stand to see him laying out there in the dirt, unable to fully be a chicken, dragging himself around with all he's got just to get basic necessities.
I know some people would have the ability to put him in a wheelchair and give him a wonderful rest of his life, but that's not something I could offer, though I wish I could. He was suffering and because my job is to love and care for him, I needed to give him peace. Sometimes it's just part of it ❤️🩹
