Story and photos by Marina Killery.
I am pleased to tell you a little about the indomitable Rosie, who is gray
Cochin I raised from a 3 day old chick that is part of my little backyard flock.
In June of 2020, I noticed an area of red skin under its tail. I thought she was plucking her feathers, but when I picked her up and examined her closely. To my horror, I found a fist-sized lump dangling between her legs.
There also appears to be necrotic tissue present. I called a chicken friend who said that dead tissue is a bad sign, and the chicken should be thrown away. I searched online and found a couple of posts in poultry forums by bewildered poultry owners reaching out for information, after they discovered, what appears to be the same condition in their chickens.
Like Rosie, in all other respects the bird appears to be in good health,
Eating, drinking and socializing. But after another reading, the poor hen was found in the coop with the lump’s skin split open, and the other chickens feeding on it. It is difficult to imagine a more terrible ending.
Since Rosie’s mass wasn’t coming out of her vent, we investigated a possibility
Inner egg problem. This was not the case either, so we suspected a fluid-filled mass or cyst of some sort. The vet came and, under sterile conditions in our kitchen, made a small incision. What he found were beautiful, healthy internal organs. Rosie has a massive hernia.
I have no business to work; Everything in that bag of leather was working parts, which Rosie needed, and there was a lot of it to try and push it back in without trying more risky surgery. Vet
We simply sutured the small incision, bandaged the wound, and shaped it
A face mask to support and protect it while it heals.
Since then, Rosie has made a series of hernia supports out of my husband’s old socks. Hernia support and protection was key;
If left hanging, it is likely that more “tubes” will fall from the abdomen
A cavity in the skin cyst, and the skin itself becomes very thin and fragile
It expands due to the weight of the mass. In Rosie’s case, it wasn’t just me
The incision heals, but the necrotic tissue falls away, leaving healthy tissue in it
place. She was able to move around more easily and lead a normal life
Barn. The stocking also protected her hernia from curious chickens. we’re even
She found the accidental egg in her sock.
That was two years ago. Rosie is now 11 years old and still with us
A sock holds her hernia.
Recently, she came home to recover from an eye infection. I bathed her and put her in a corner of my studio where she is
He seemed satisfied with eating, drinking and hygiene.
She definitely slows down and doesn’t see very well, but this bird is
Full of personality!
I suppose the point of Rosie’s story is that she was living with a condition we don’t get to often, and when it does, it leads to a horrific death. The vet says I saved her life by bringing up the idea to
Reuse the humble sock this way. This will be an amazing era
For any chicken, let alone one with Rosie’s condition.
Marina killer He is a designer, portrait painter, and poultry lover living in Cold Spring, New York. You can find her work at:
https://marinakillery.com/