救命!我们的鸡病了

救命!我们的鸡病了

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.

我们的鸡拉克什米辛格是5个月大，雪白的复活节埃格。她差不多到了完全成熟的年龄，应该随时可以下蛋了。但相反，上周我们发现她昏昏欲睡，拒绝离开鸡舍。当她的伙伴们在这片土地上自由活动时，拉克希米躲在一个角落里。她的爪子紧紧地抓着窝，头朝着墙，背对着我们。她闭着眼睛，一动也不动。出什么事儿了?

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

How to diagnose a chicken problem

如何诊断鸡的问题

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."

在评估了形势之后，伊丽莎白小心翼翼地把拉克希米抬进了车库。首先，我们想把她从羊群中分离出来，以防她身上的任何东西会传染。我们在车库里搭了一个小笼子，就是为了这种场合，这样我们就能密切观察，帮助护理病人恢复健康。伊丽莎白称其为“赫内尔医院”。

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.

美国疾病控制与预防中心(CDC)最近发布了一份声明，称沙门氏菌爆发影响了几个州，并警告人们不要亲吻自己的鸡。拉克希米是被感染了吗?这是一个猜谜游戏。如果有一个针对问题家禽的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.

为了安全起见，我们给所有的鸡都吃了药。在车库里，我们照顾拉克希米好几个小时——抱着她，试图用手喂她。她脱水了，需要营养。谁能想到我们会在周四晚上花一个晚上的时间在youtube上学习如何通过注射器给鸡注射药物。(此时，谷歌开始为我提供家禽牛至油的广告。)她几乎没有动弹。我们上床睡觉时都不知道她明早是否还活着。

Which way was this going to go?

事情将会怎样?

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.

我比伊丽莎白早醒，跑到车库去查看拉克希米的情况。伊丽莎白在楼上给我发短信:“她还活着吗?”当我把我的回复打回去时，我想象着伊丽莎白屏住呼吸等待我的回复。

She was still alive.

她还活着。

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.

我们把她放在车库里，继续照顾她。慢慢地，她似乎又恢复了活力。三天后，她完全清醒了，表现得更像她自己。我们已经渡过了暴风雨。

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，我们把拉克希米重新介绍给了鸥群，她似乎比在紧急情况发生前更喜欢这种同志情谊。就像自豪的家长在开学的第一天，我们从窗口看到她摇摇摆摆地走来走去。

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

拉克什米·辛格又回到了从前的自己——我决定，这是一段美好的时光，让我清理自己的网络浏览记录。