no appetite
Alektorophobia keeps no appetite in one place: 2 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Our five-week-old buff Orpington is down: anyone else seen this cluck-tastic mystery” and “Can we drain water belly and give Slash a second chance at clucking around”. Oh, a hunched-over Buff Orpington who'd rather nap than eat? Oh, Slash. Chickens. Everything there is to know about chickens and the fear of them. The list below is every no appetite story on Alektorophobia, newest first.
Our five-week-old buff Orpington is down: anyone else seen this cluck-tastic mystery
Oh, a hunched-over Buff Orpington who'd rather nap than eat? That's the kind of fowl play that sends a shiver down any chicken keeper's spine. You've got a five-week-old pullet who's gone from peppy to pathetic overnight, and I feel that worry right in my gizzard. A deflated crop and a wet white poop are big, cluck-tastic red flags. The fact she perked up enough to wander when you returned gives a little hope, but sleeping on your lap for an hour says she's still fighting something hard. If you're hunting for clues, our piece on "When Your Flock Sounds Like a Tiny Symphony of Sneezes" might offer some comfort, sometimes the weirdest symptoms start with respiratory mischief.
Can we drain water belly and give Slash a second chance at clucking around
Oh, Slash. A warm, fluid-filled belly, a penguin waddle, and labored breathing, this is the stuff of chicken nightmares. I've been there, staring at a feathered friend and wondering if I'm about to make the wrong call. Water belly (ascites, for the fancy folks) is a brutal condition, and the urge to drain it and give Slash a second chance is totally understandable. But here's the cluck-tastic truth: draining it rarely fixes the underlying issue, and the fluid will likely come back, leaving her in the same sorry state. It's a temporary fix for a very big problem. I'd be lying if I said the decision is easy. It's heartbreaking. But sometimes the kindest thing is letting them go.