Hi,
I just thought I would give any interested people an update on my sick chicken!
To re cap. I thought initially she was egg bound, gave her Acon 30 initially (shock of coming into the house if nothing else). Then she had a warm bath, which she seemed to enjoy, but did not produce the offending egg... (hardly surprising really as it transpired there was no egg! :-)
Working with limited rubrics I then gave her Bell as she was very red (not just in expected hen areas) and seemed hot, no real effect, slightly reduced redness, Calc, with no effect. She got progressively worse. Initially she was pecking at food, within 24 hours she was refusing to look at it and was all but gone. I gave her Carbo Veg. She perked up a little and agreed to drink from a spoon again. I just couldn't find a remedy that fitted. Then I noticed that she made a funny noise when she swallowed. Chances are so do all chickens but I was grasping at straws... I gave her Cupr 30, in water, she improved for a few days. I didn't repeat it, thinking we were on our way, but she then relapsed. Here I did a silly thing, I should have known better and I'm only admitting it so that someone might learn from it, hopefully me! I read somewhere about chickens who suddenly develop this odd lethargy, loss of appetite and apparent determination to expire that Arsencium will do wonders... so I gave her a 30 Ars... and nearly lost her....
Here's where I went wrong. I should have repeated the remedy that worked, the indicated remedy at the first sign of a relapse. I know this, so why I didn't is a complete mystery! Arsenicum was not indicated. She wasn't restless, did not show any fear, she was not following every drink with a stool. I guess in my defence it does have a gurgling in the oesophagus when drinking, but the restlessness which is marked in Ars was not there.
Once I saw sense... and luckily not too late, I gave her Cupr 200 and repeated it after five succusions every time I saw a slight relapse for several days. She steadily improved again and for the last week has been eating like a horse (well like a chicken really!). Her little comb thingy is almost upright again (at one point it was flat against her head). This evening, she paid me back for almost killing her... for the first time she came out of the little cage that has been home for the last few weeks and had a little wander around my little office. I picked her up while I was doing some work and I decided to write this and tell you my shameful story. At which point she deposited some of her independently eaten food, nicely digested and processed on to my lap! I guess that's me told!
When drinking, fluid descends with gurgling sound. Which it did.
Loss of appetite. She had.
Stool black. Hers were.
Great weariness of limbs. She certainly didn't seem inclined to move.
Cramping of muscles. I noticed when I gently pulled her wings out that
they seemed to cramp, this with the gurgling thing was my deciding symptom.
Sleep heavy. she slept for a fortnight mostly, and didn't react to noise.
Chill, icy coldness, she was as close to the radiator as she could get.
Causation. cold air/cold wind. We had just had a really cold spell.
At this point I guess I have to thank my very patient patient for reinforcing one of Homoeopathy's basic tenets.
Fee.