stuck egg
One of our chickens has a stuck egg. I spent a half hour in the morning giving her hot water baths and crushing up egg shells for her to eat. Dan helped me set up an isolation coop (Sorry Cindy! It turns out we DO still have the dog crate we said we gave back to you!) and I've left her there in the middle of the hard to try to work things out.
I went out a few minutes ago with a finger covered in olive oil. All I could think was, "There is no part of me that wants to do this." I had to stick my finger what felt like MILES up her vent before touching an egg. Her belly is all pink and distended but I'm starting to think it could be something other than the egg, because the egg doesn't feel that massive. But then again, I'm no farmer, and like I said I really disliked having my finger up there.
I feel terribly guilty for the mix of thoughts I'm having.... that if it keeps raining I should bring the isolation coop into the house... that it might be better for the chicken to die than to have a chicken coop in the house the same day we host 25 people for Zion's birthday party. Maybe I should let all the chickens out for exercise... maybe then she'll get eaten by a hawk and I won't need to clean up a dead chicken mess.
Harvey is out of clean diapers and rascal needs walked and it's raining. How do real farmers do anything? They have so much more to do? Maybe they are not wracked with guilt at the thought of failing a chicken.