Goldielocks had rabies…..

The test came back positive for rabies.  The Health Department will come and evaluate the site and talk to our kids before making a recommendation for rabies shots….please say a prayer for our kids…..

 

 

Dear Daughter 2 (DD2) went out onto back porch first thing this morning, kept hearing a weird bird sound, then noticed one of her chickens in the back yard.  She stepped off the porch and as soon as the chicken saw her it ran to her clucking up a storm and wouldn’t get away from her feet.  She started walking toward the chicken pen and the hen followed her, still clucking all the way.  When they got to the gate the hen wouldn’t follow her in, so DD2 picked her up and entered the pen.   There, peacefully sleeping under the laying boxes was a skunk, with a dead chicken beside him.  DD2’s hubby heads toward the pen but DD2 can’t holler for him to bring a gun for fear of waking the sleeping skunk.  So when he gets close enough she tells him to get a gun, in a loud whisper.  SIL returns with gun and shoots skunk but due to angle, close proximity and the scope, he gut shot it.  He hands the gun to DD2 and lets her finish him off, she is very protective of her laying hens.

After the excitement was over they had to get the dead skunk and chicken out of the pen and dispose of them.  Another chicken was injured also but will survive.  After the disposal DD2 talked to DD1 who used to work at the veterinary clinic, she advised that they talk to the vet about whether or not to have the skunk tested for rabies.  Sure enough the vet said since they has both touched the chickens that it would be to test.  So now they have to wait a week for the test to come back.  Chickens don’t get rabies so the injured chicken is ok.  The concern was that they might have come into contact with saliva from the skunk.  The chances they were infected is slim, but better to be safe than sorry!

Who would have thought that a chicken would leave the pen in search of help but that appears to be what happened and DD2 is absolutely sure that her hen was telling her all about the frightening ordeal when they were walking back to the pen.  DD2 and SIL have 4 dogs that slept through it all…..

Hope you liked this little trip to the farm……

• Posted in: Goofy Stuff ♦ Life
• Tagged: Chicken, Chicken coop, Rural Living, Skunk