Cube mk2 and WIR

[Jangle]

Not directly related to chickens, but I keep thinking about it, so I shall share it with you.

 

We were on our way somewhere on Saturday afternoon, down a back lane near Burnham Beeches - gorgeous beech woods just coming into bud. We were travelling fairly slowly when a car approaching us on the other side of the road suddenly swerved wildly to avoid a pheasant and ended up in the ditch. The pheasant escaped unhurt. We stopped to give assistance but the lady driving was ok, if a little shaken. She said that she had been distracted by another pheasant further up the road and didn't see the second one until almost too late. Her car was well jammed in the ditch and we couldn't get it out.

 

I could see the first pheasant in the distance flapping about on the road so I went to see what I could do. It was female, and had obviously been hit hard by a car a short time beforehand and was badly injured - it had a broken wing and a smashed beak and when I picked it gently up it felt wrong inside - sort of soft where it should be hard. Having made sure the other driver was ok and that help was on the way, we decided to take the pheasant to our vet. We had no box, and nothing to wrap it in so I sat it on my lap and held it as firmly as I could. Half way into the journey to the vet it started to have fits and then died on my lap. We continued to the vet who confirmed the poor thing was dead and offered to dispose of it for us. I went home soaked in pheasant blood and tears and I still feel awful. I keep wondering if there was anything else I could have done. I also feel angry that somebody could hit something and just leave it in the road to die a lingering and painful death.

 

We planted a lilac tree in the garden yesterday as a memorial to it and will be driving a lot more gingerly round our country lanes.

[Lesley]

Oh Janet - sorry you feel so badly about your part in this but I'm sure you did more than most people would in that situation. There was probably nothing that could be done for the poor pheasant but at least she had the comfort of you holding her and caring for her.

 

We are surrounded by pheasants and it seems to be a part of driving life around here. I've never known anyone who has stopped so your pheasant was lucky to have you to care.

 

Don't beat yourself up over it - you couldn't have done more.

[Nicola H]

Oh Janet that is a very sad story........I hope you are coping Ok I don't think there is any more you could have done for the poor pheasant, they are such lovely birds but don't have much road sense, but like you say how could anybody just leave it by the road...............What a lovely thing to do planting the tree............

[Louise]

Oh Janet, how awful but you did all you could.

 

People do forget on country roads these birds will be about often they have no street sense as they have been reared for a shoot and see humans as food not danger.

 

I have never seen anyone apart from myself stop for animals or birds in the road so the pheasant was lucky in that respect.

[Mrs Frugal]

Janet, you couldn't have done anything more for the poor pheasant. At least you tried your best for it.

 

On my way over to my parents last year, the car in front of me hit a squirrel but didn't kill it. The parkway was really busy and I couldn't stop. If I'd tried to go into the road to rescue it, I would have been knocked over too in all probability. I drove on to my parents in tears because all I could see in my head was the poor squirrel writhing in the middle of the road. I had to drive back along the same parkway shortly afterwards and it was dead after being hit several times. I suppose it must have been run over again very soon after the initial impact but the memory still upsets me even now so I know how you're feeling. Horrible, isn't it. At least you were able to try to save the pheasant. That's got to be some consolation.

[SarahJo]

Sorry you ended up losing the pheasant. You sound a bit like me ... can never leave an animal in distress, Graham once dispared as I rescued a seagull with an injured wing, and drove it to an Wildlife rescue place 30 miles away .

 

Thing with Pheasants is that they are quite thick, and not very good at crossing the road .. usually changing their mind half way across . You did all you could and more ... so don't feel bad.

[Karen1]

I can understand how you feel Janet. It must be very upsetting for you, but there are not many people who would pick up and injured bird to take to a vet At least you did all you could for it, and it is out of its misery now.

 

It reminds me of an incident when I lived in London. I was walking to the pub with a friend, and we saw a pigeon get hit by a car. It was flapping about in the road, so I went to see if there was anything I could do. Its wing was almost torn off, and it was covered in blood. I think a vet would try to save a pheasant, but would be very unlikely to do much for a pigeon. I couldn't just leave it to die in agony.so I picked it up and wrung its neck. I had never done anything like that before, or even seen it done, but I thought it was the right thing to do. I was so scared of causing it even more pain if I got it wrong, so I did it really hard to make sure, and I tore its head right off The body continued to flap around for a few seconds, which was very distressing, but at least I knew it was out of its misery.

 

I walked into the pub covered in blood, went straight into the loo for a wash, then came out and drank a whole pint of beer in about 2 minutes flat! I didn't stop shaking for ages and was very upset for a long time afterwards.

 

It brings tears to my eyes just writing about it now

[Mrs Frugal]

That was brave Karen. The closest I've come to despatching anything myself was when we had a rat in the rabbit hutch. We took the rabbit and guinea pig into the house in a box and put a chocolate bated trap in the run instead. After a while, I noticed the trap had been sprung so I went out and there was the rat lying on the floor quite a way from the trap, writhing and rolling on the floor. I couldn't leave it suffering even though it was a rat so I found the heaviest thing I could - the motor from my old washing machine - and dropped it onto the rat. My first drop didn't quite hit the target fully so I had to do it all over again, shaking like a leaf and crying like a baby. Like you, I found it ever so distressing and had to have a long tearful chat to Mum on the phone while I calmed down. My friend from down the road arrived shortly afterwards and had to go and have a look at what I'd done !

[Jangle]

Thank you all very much for your words of support. They have made me feel a bit better. I expect I will keep thinking about it for a day or so yet though.

 

The only other time I have come across a sick/injured wild animal was about 25 years ago. I was out for a walk on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors with my Aunt's dog and she found a rabbit with advanced myxamatosis. The poor thing was really ill and probably about to die. Again, I felt that I couldn't leave it to suffer (I have always been very soft-hearted) so I decided to put it out of it's misery by dropping a large rock on it from a nearby stone wall. I lined up the rock, closed my eyes, took a deep breath and dropped it - straight onto my own foot. After 2 minutes of hopping about and cursing I tried again, this time with my eyes open and was successful. Poor rabbit. It has stuck in my mind all this time though.

[SarahJo]

I've done the rabbit with myxamatosis too ... rather than let it suffer anymore .. did not drop a boulder on my foot though

[Leanne]

hi jangle, you did a truly kind thing in helping the pheasant so no need to feel you could have done more. we found a little dove last summer, in our high street,who had, we believe, been beaten up bythe bigger pigeons nearby. its head was completely bald of feathers where they had pecked him, and it was bleeding from some of the wounds. it just walked in circles, probably had had some brain damage affecting balance or motor function, Andy stayed with him while I went into the nearest shop and asked for some water, but we couldnt get him to drink(it was a very hot day)so we took him to the vets, but they couldnt save him, snd he was put to sleep.we took comfort from the fact that we stopped and helped him, unlike many others on a busy high st that just walked past. although he was put to sleep it was a quick end, he didnt die of dehydration, or further attack.

 

reading the replies to this topic, and others posted elsewhere, it seems to me that chicken people are nice people

[Anna 1]

I have a similar experience. We found a magpie trapped in the netting separating the playing fields from our back garden entrance last year. I managed to capture it and keep it quiet overnight and then we took it to the vet the next morning, since it was bleeding badly from a wound from the netting, and was having difficulty moving. The vet said that its wing had been broken for some time and that they couldn't do anything for it, so they had to put it to sleep. I felt awful because ill and injured animals always upset me dreadfully, but I was relieved that at least we'd helped to make the end quick and painless.

[ribbons021185]

All of the stories i have just read here are very sad, but the only thing i can say is at least everyone has been kind and tried to prevent suffering in all of the cases.

 

When i was about 10 years old i woke up early one morning to hear a strange noise in the garden, i looked out of the window and there were some magpies flapping about on the lawn. I tiptoed downstairs and went to see what they had found, and it was a tiny baby bird, eyes only just open with scrawny wet feathers from the dewy grass. The magpies had been trying to kill/eat/attack it, as it had lots of cuts and was making a distressed sound.

I picked it up (it smelled discusting, i remember really clearly) and i put it inside my rabbit's transport box with a hot water bottle covered in a towel just like they do in animal rescue programmes on TV! I gave it a little pot of water and a stick to perch on (i didnt know it was too young even for that at the time) and i left it alone for the rest of the day. Eventually i told my parents and took them to see it, but it had died.

 

I'm sure i should had told my parents earlier, or had it taken in by the vets, but i was so young i didnt know any better.

However i am proud that even then i cared enough to try to save a little bird's life, and YOU all should be proud of yourselves too.

[Louise]

This isn't chickens and it isn't strictly pheasants either but thtis seemed the most appropriate palce to put it.

 

A horrible thing happened this morning. I went out to the girls and as usual there were birds squaking presumably because one of my cats was with me. I headed to the cabin to get their food and nearly stepped on a baby thrush. Poor thing was learning to fly and obviously had run out of energy which explained the racket from mum and dad. As the parents were there I left it alone got the girls done gathered up my murderous felines and went back in. I was hoping mum and dad would top up the fuel tank and the little chap would get on with it. Then I remembered I hadn't checked for eggs in my haste to get the cats out of the garden so I went back out to see. The parents were making even more noise and had moved round by the car so I went to look and a huge crow had the baby bird and flew off before I could do anything It was so horrible I felt awful because I had considered taking it and dropping it into the university vets who have a wildlife and exotics department they aren't far from work but I decided that since the parents were there I wouldn't interfere.

 

I have so many birds in the garden it shouldn't get to me and my cats are always catching things (even a kingfisher once) I don't know why this one is any different. Going soft in my old age. Poor little thrush. I now have a real downer on crows

[Mrs Frugal]

You did the right thing in not picking up the baby Thrush, Louise. In all the bird books they tell you not to, especially if the parents are around. What happened was just a cruel twist of fate and sadly these things happen. We have a Sparrowhawk who regularly picnics in our garden and though I'm sad for the bird who died, I have to think that the other bird has to live too and the crow possibly had babies of its own to feed.

 

Not much help, eh .

[Jangle]

Louise - What a horrid thing to happen. Kate is right though - the RSPB say that you should always leave baby birds alone, especially if the parents are close by, so you did exactly the right thing. I suppose this is just an example of "Nature red in tooth and claw".