救命!我們的雞病了

救命!我們的雞病了

Our chicken Lakshmi Singh is a 5-month-old, snowy white easter egger. She's about the age where she's becoming fully mature and should start laying eggs any day now. But instead, last week we found her lethargic, refusing to leave the coop. While her buddies were free-ranging on the property, Lakshmi was hiding in a corner. She had her claws clasped to the roost and her head facing the wall, with her back towards us. Her eyes were closed and she didn't want to move. Something was wrong.

我們的雞拉克什米辛格是5個月大，雪白的復活節(jié)埃格。她差不多到了完全成熟的年齡，應該隨時可以下蛋了。但相反，上周我們發(fā)現她昏昏欲睡，拒絕離開雞舍。當她的伙伴們在這片土地上自由活動時，拉克希米躲在一個角落里。她的爪子緊緊地抓著窩，頭朝著墻，背對著我們。她閉著眼睛，一動也不動。出什么事兒了?

Lakshmi Singh enjoying the great outdoors. (Photo: Benyamin Cohen)

How to diagnose a chicken problem

如何診斷雞的問題

After assessing the situation, Elizabeth gingerly carried Lakshmi into the garage. First, we wanted to separate her from the flock in case whatever she had was contagious. We had set up a small coop in the garage for just such occasions so we could keep a close eye and help nurse the patient back to health. Elizabeth dubbed it "Heneral Hospital."

在評估了形勢之后，伊麗莎白小心翼翼地把拉克希米抬進了車庫。首先，我們想把她從羊群中分離出來，以防她身上的任何東西會傳染。我們在車庫里搭了一個小籠子，就是為了這種場合，這樣我們就能密切觀察，幫助護理病人恢復健康。伊麗莎白稱其為“赫內爾醫(yī)院”。

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Disease Control (CDC) had recently issued a statement about a salmonella outbreak impacting several states, and warned people not to kiss their chickens. Was Lakshmi somehow infected? It was a guessing game. If only there was a WebMd for problem poultry.

美國疾病控制與預防中心(CDC)最近發(fā)布了一份聲明，稱沙門氏菌爆發(fā)影響了幾個州，并警告人們不要親吻自己的雞。拉克希米是被感染了嗎?這是一個猜謎游戲。如果有一個針對問題家禽的WebMd就好了。

We put all the chickens on the meds, just to play it safe. In the garage, we tended to Lakshmi for hours — holding her and trying to hand feed her. She was dehydrated and needed the nourishment. Who would've guessed we'd be spending a Thursday night YouTubing how to give a chicken medicine via a syringe. (At this point, Google began serving me ads for poultry oregano oil.) She was barely moving. We went to bed not knowing if she'd be alive in the morning.

為了安全起見，我們給所有的雞都吃了藥。在車庫里，我們照顧拉克希米好幾個小時——抱著她，試圖用手喂她。她脫水了，需要營養(yǎng)。誰能想到我們會在周四晚上花一個晚上的時間在youtube上學習如何通過注射器給雞注射藥物。(此時，谷歌開始為我提供家禽牛至油的廣告。)她幾乎沒有動彈。我們上床睡覺時都不知道她明早是否還活著。

Which way was this going to go?

事情將會怎樣?

I woke up before Elizabeth and ran down to the garage to check in on Lakshmi. Elizabeth texted me from upstairs: "Is she still alive?" As I typed back my response, I imagined Elizabeth holding her breath as she anticipating my response.

我比伊麗莎白早醒，跑到車庫去查看拉克希米的情況。伊麗莎白在樓上給我發(fā)短信:“她還活著嗎?”當我把我的回復打回去時，我想象著伊麗莎白屏住呼吸等待我的回復。

She was still alive.

她還活著。

We kept her in the garage and continued to take care of her. Slowly, she began to seem rejuvenated. After three days, she was wide awake and acting more like herself. We had made it through the storm.

我們把她放在車庫里，繼續(xù)照顧她。慢慢地，她似乎又恢復了活力。三天后，她完全清醒了，表現得更像她自己。我們已經渡過了暴風雨。

Lakshmi had no interest in the food at first, but eventually she regained her strength and her appetite. (Photo: Elizabeth Cohen)

Yesterday, we reintroduced Lakshmi to the flock and she seemed to relish the camaraderie more than she had before her emergency. Like proud parents on the first day of school, we watched from the window as she waddled around.

昨天，我們把拉克希米重新介紹給了鷗群，她似乎比在緊急情況發(fā)生前更喜歡這種同志情誼。就像自豪的家長在開學的第一天，我們從窗口看到她搖搖擺擺地走來走去。

Lakshmi Singh was back to her old self — a good time, I decided, to go clear my web browsing history.

拉克什米·辛格又回到了從前的自己——我決定，這是一段美好的時光，讓我清理自己的網絡瀏覽記錄。