Nipped in the Bud

Poor Carlos, her tail feathers will never be the same, but she is alive and well and acting as if nothing happened.  She and Scarlett are best friends, and they roam freely around my house.  Scarlett is a Rhode Island Red just like Carlos.  And yes, Carlos is a hen. That was her name when we received her from a friend.

One morning last week, two stray dogs appeared in my yard and were determined to have chicken for lunch.  I ran out the door to see what all the commotion was about and saw a clump of tail feathers with skin at the front steps.  I chased the dogs off and ran to find out which one of my feathered friends had lost her tail.  It was Carlos, and she was hiding under the car.  She had a gash in her backside and I knew it needed stitching up.    

So off to the vet I went.  I have the most wonderful vet around, Dr. Mark Moore, in Union Springs, Alabama.  I held Carlos and he put her to sleep and then sewed her up.  I brought her home and she stayed in a box in the house.  In about two hours she woke up and poked her r head out of the box, all fit and ready to go.  Upon her release back out in the yard, Scarlett was so glad to see her.  Later on, she was found doing her normal routine of scratching in the ground searching for bugs.

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