I haven't been posting much in recent months, and as such some people may not be aware of little Dora's plight. Dora is one of our youngest chicks from this years hatch - she recently became quite poorly, and I suspected she had sustained a head injury. Thankfully she managed to overcome this, and lead a happy life...until Hogmany, when she became very lethargic - appears uninterested in social interaction and lost the ability to eat, or so it seemed. I decided to bring her indoors and try a few things, before making the horrible decision to cull. Dora appeared ataxic - but when food was given to her she'd eat and drink quite normally. I considered the fact she may have Marek's disease, but quickly decided it was not likely...so opted for an inner ear infection. I treated her with Baytril for 10 days, and fed her anything her little heart fancied, and she made a miricle recovery. Within two weeks she was back outside, having gained weight....regained the ability to coordinate herself, eat unaided, etc. Things were looking good...until Monday. She took a sudden turn for the worse, and unfortunately her condition deteriorated rapidly. When Liz opened the coup today she found Dora dead. It appears that she's just toddled off to chicken heaven whilst sleeping. She looked peaceful and settled...but...it's sad. She's our first loss here...and as we raised her from an egg, it's a little harder to swallow.
She'll forever be remembered for her incredible fighting spirit...and her 'odd' behaviour. I'm relieved that she doesn't have to 'suffer' any more...but she will be missed by us.
R.I.P wee Dora...thank you for being part of our life. :)
Dora as a chick.
With her siblings and Mum (Mavis).
Dora before she became ill.
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