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Injured hen
+4
theabsinthefairy
Wilhelm Von Rhomboid
Adrian
Compostwoman
8 posters
Page 1 of 1
Injured hen
Have a hen in a box next to the aga as she has somehow injured herself
and although I can't see any obvious sign of injury, she can only stand/walk
for a short time and then sinks to the ground....wings slightly outstretched
She has been like it for 3 days now and has actually improved a bit as she can now walk and stand up. She is also a bit hunched over anyway because she is moulting a bit
Apart from this she is well and happy, eating, drinking, BEABT and pooing etc, so am hoping a few days in the warm being immobile may
help the muscles to heal.
I had a hen like this once before, where someone dropped her and she landed hard, I did the same thing and she recovered....
So has anyone had a similar chickeny experience?
I don't want to have to kill her, she is a
good hen, the best layer and a very friendly personality.... and I don't really see what the Vet could do, apart from an X Ray (!) to see what might be broken? (and I am not doing that!)
and although I can't see any obvious sign of injury, she can only stand/walk
for a short time and then sinks to the ground....wings slightly outstretched
She has been like it for 3 days now and has actually improved a bit as she can now walk and stand up. She is also a bit hunched over anyway because she is moulting a bit
Apart from this she is well and happy, eating, drinking, BEABT and pooing etc, so am hoping a few days in the warm being immobile may
help the muscles to heal.
I had a hen like this once before, where someone dropped her and she landed hard, I did the same thing and she recovered....
So has anyone had a similar chickeny experience?
I don't want to have to kill her, she is a
good hen, the best layer and a very friendly personality.... and I don't really see what the Vet could do, apart from an X Ray (!) to see what might be broken? (and I am not doing that!)
Compostwoman- Posts : 5688
Join date : 2009-11-08
Re: Injured hen
I had something similar recently. One of my Ameraucanas got squished by our lame Muscovy. she couldn't roost and just camped down in one of the nest boxes.. She was pathetic enough for long enough to make me consider culling her, then one day she was recovered and roosted and back to normal.
I tend to let them be and try not to anthropomorphise my birds (I already do they with the indoor fur babies) and if they die, then I am sad, but accepting..
I tend to let them be and try not to anthropomorphise my birds (I already do they with the indoor fur babies) and if they die, then I am sad, but accepting..
Re: Injured hen
The bringing her inside aspect is to keep her muscles warm, Badger...she is not going to heal well sitting on the cold ground and also she was not getting to the food as the others just pushed her aside...
So bringing her inside was really the only humane alternative to killing her.
If she continues to improve day by day and can start to walk around that will be good. If at any point she looks distessed I will kill her.
Although I name my hens, and am very keen on them, and recognise their individual nature, I tend not to anthropomorphise very much now . I used to, but after so many deaths etc it becomes too much if one does...
So bringing her inside was really the only humane alternative to killing her.
If she continues to improve day by day and can start to walk around that will be good. If at any point she looks distessed I will kill her.
Although I name my hens, and am very keen on them, and recognise their individual nature, I tend not to anthropomorphise very much now . I used to, but after so many deaths etc it becomes too much if one does...
Compostwoman- Posts : 5688
Join date : 2009-11-08
Re: Injured hen
but after so many deaths etc it becomes too much if one does... Crying or Very sad
I have the same reasons
Re: Injured hen
I tend not to anthropomorphise my animals beacuse they are animals not people and and this whole business of making little gingham curtains for teh henhouse window and bringing them indoors to watch afternoon telly and so on is deeply odd in my view. It has nothing at all to do with the best interests of the animal and everything to do with the owner. My daughter, at 5, has grown out of trying to dress the cats up as dollies - she is able to distinguish between toys and living creatures. Grown adults who are not should not really be responsible for animals IMO. (not suggesting anyone here does this, it was a general observation)
Could the hen just have got too cold at night CW? Sometimes they get so chilled they cannot warm up again in the day. We lost a few in the last cold snap this way. We brought them in and put them by the fire but most it was too late. Although if she is otherwise BEABT it sounds less likely.
Could the hen just have got too cold at night CW? Sometimes they get so chilled they cannot warm up again in the day. We lost a few in the last cold snap this way. We brought them in and put them by the fire but most it was too late. Although if she is otherwise BEABT it sounds less likely.
Re: Injured hen
It is hard to lose birds unneccesarily, I hate that aspect of keeping animals. We have currently three separate flocks albeit that they all live together. The first flock are now 4 years old and not laying so well anymore so looking to cull some of those this spring, then there is the meat flock of birds raised for the short term goal of filling the freezer, and then there are my new orpington girls that are pets really.
Anyway - back to your chicken question - if she is eating and drinking well but moulting she may well recover by herself, in the meantime have you checked for lice and/or mites. The little whatsists really get the chickens run down and moulting at an inopportune time like winter can be indicative of lice infestation. The chickens can appear listless and lethargic, hunched but still be eating and drinking well. Assuming that she is not egg bound nor has a choked crop, because she would not normally eat then.
Apple cider vinegar is a good worm tonic for all the birds too if you suspect that maybe worms are causing her condition.
We have nursed back to health a limping chicken who had fallen from her perch and had (we suspect) broken her thigh but she managed to get around enough after a while to scratch and perch, but on the other hand we also had to cull a cockerel who we think got pushed off his perch for being too randy one night and while his leg did not feel broken he just refused to pick himself up and move around to fend for himself.
Anyway - back to your chicken question - if she is eating and drinking well but moulting she may well recover by herself, in the meantime have you checked for lice and/or mites. The little whatsists really get the chickens run down and moulting at an inopportune time like winter can be indicative of lice infestation. The chickens can appear listless and lethargic, hunched but still be eating and drinking well. Assuming that she is not egg bound nor has a choked crop, because she would not normally eat then.
Apple cider vinegar is a good worm tonic for all the birds too if you suspect that maybe worms are causing her condition.
We have nursed back to health a limping chicken who had fallen from her perch and had (we suspect) broken her thigh but she managed to get around enough after a while to scratch and perch, but on the other hand we also had to cull a cockerel who we think got pushed off his perch for being too randy one night and while his leg did not feel broken he just refused to pick himself up and move around to fend for himself.
theabsinthefairy- Posts : 10
Join date : 2011-01-21
Re: Injured hen
Thanks for the responses!
She routinely gets ACV and garlic, as well as being wormed regularly. She also gets to dust bathe daily and is dusted for mites and lice on a regular basis with Diatom and Barrier redmite/louse powder ( its the same stuff in both of them btw!)
I have given her a dusting since she became incapacitiated.
It is NOT just due to moulting, as she cannot walk, she can stand but if she tries to move her left leg she drops back down. She actually looks quite perky and friendly for a moulty hen, mostly they seem to get very grumpy!
She IS improved today and stood up of her own accord to get some food, but seems happiest in her box of straw, sitting in a comfortable ( I guess) position.
I did wonder if she had just got chilled, but the others are all fine and she is normaly one of the top hens.
I am certain it is due to some kind of injury: I thionk the Blue Orpingtom ( top hen) has been having a go...her fighting tactic is to sit on the other hen.....
I just wondered if any of you has experienced a similar thing with any of your hens and what the prognosis was.
So far I have nursed one hen back injury back to health and laying and also one cockerel who ( yes too randy!) fell of the perch as well.. but they could both still limp around.....so was just wondering if this one was worth the effort.
She routinely gets ACV and garlic, as well as being wormed regularly. She also gets to dust bathe daily and is dusted for mites and lice on a regular basis with Diatom and Barrier redmite/louse powder ( its the same stuff in both of them btw!)
I have given her a dusting since she became incapacitiated.
It is NOT just due to moulting, as she cannot walk, she can stand but if she tries to move her left leg she drops back down. She actually looks quite perky and friendly for a moulty hen, mostly they seem to get very grumpy!
She IS improved today and stood up of her own accord to get some food, but seems happiest in her box of straw, sitting in a comfortable ( I guess) position.
I did wonder if she had just got chilled, but the others are all fine and she is normaly one of the top hens.
I am certain it is due to some kind of injury: I thionk the Blue Orpingtom ( top hen) has been having a go...her fighting tactic is to sit on the other hen.....
I just wondered if any of you has experienced a similar thing with any of your hens and what the prognosis was.
So far I have nursed one hen back injury back to health and laying and also one cockerel who ( yes too randy!) fell of the perch as well.. but they could both still limp around.....so was just wondering if this one was worth the effort.
Compostwoman- Posts : 5688
Join date : 2009-11-08
Re: Injured hen
As a vet is unlikely to do anything, you have nothing to lose by trying to nurse her yourself. Either she recovers to fend for herself but if not at least you are keeping her weight up as she is at least a viable meal.
Sounds as though she has either twisted or dislocated her thigh - they do it easily enough unfortunately. If dislocated badly the leg will eventually die due to lack of blood supply, if a strain she should recover with a bit of rest.
Sounds as though she has either twisted or dislocated her thigh - they do it easily enough unfortunately. If dislocated badly the leg will eventually die due to lack of blood supply, if a strain she should recover with a bit of rest.
theabsinthefairy- Posts : 10
Join date : 2011-01-21
Re: Injured hen
I recently lost my favorite lady to a similar sounding occurrence. One day she was no longer on the roost, but on the floor, and was slow to move and did not return to her coop that evening. I carried her home that night and put her in on the roost, and she did OK. The next morning, she couldn't walk on her own and kept falling forward. One of her legs didn't seem to lift enough anymore, and her toes were dragging on the ground, so she would just plop and wait it out. It was very sad and I didn't understand why Henrietta was this way, so I offered her a box on the floor and she spent another couple of miserable days roosting in a box and moping in the coop. Then, still no better, I seperated Henrietta and offered her antibotics and foodstuffs she enjoyed still, as her appetite never faltered. And every day, I noticed she was no better. She seemed to be getting lighter in weight. She was sleeping all the time. One morning, she was layed out, wings out, and so we helped end what now seemed painful. We both tried our best, but it wasn't meant to be any longer. I mention all of this because she had similar symptoms. I supposed that she had an injury and her foot/leg was causing the lameness and sleepiness, but come the end, it didn't seem to be the case. Good luck to your hen kudos to you for trying to help.
Happy- Posts : 5
Join date : 2011-01-21
Re: Injured hen
Thank you for the kind replies.
Sounds like we are all in agreement that she might get better , or she might not....
She is still eating, drinking, pooing and seems fine in herself, and can stand on her legs now for 5 mins at a time, and had enough spirit to peck at an annoying Cassi kitten tonight....
But yes, I suspect some major damage is there and she will either recover fairly quickly or I will need to dispatch her. Have sort of got Sunday in my mind as a day of decision, as it will have been 6 days by then and with most animals would expect a fairly major improvement by a week, if a mendable broken bone....
Fingers crossed as Treacle is a good natured hen, is a Black Rock, cost a bit, and lays lovely brown eggs for 26 out of 30 days a year.....
Always the best ones that get injured or got by the fox.......sigh
Sounds like we are all in agreement that she might get better , or she might not....
She is still eating, drinking, pooing and seems fine in herself, and can stand on her legs now for 5 mins at a time, and had enough spirit to peck at an annoying Cassi kitten tonight....
But yes, I suspect some major damage is there and she will either recover fairly quickly or I will need to dispatch her. Have sort of got Sunday in my mind as a day of decision, as it will have been 6 days by then and with most animals would expect a fairly major improvement by a week, if a mendable broken bone....
Fingers crossed as Treacle is a good natured hen, is a Black Rock, cost a bit, and lays lovely brown eggs for 26 out of 30 days a year.....
Always the best ones that get injured or got by the fox.......sigh
Compostwoman- Posts : 5688
Join date : 2009-11-08
Re: Injured hen
Compostwoman wrote:and lays lovely brown eggs for 26 out of 30 days a year.....
are those chicken years?
Re: Injured hen
Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:and this whole business of making little gingham curtains for teh henhouse window and bringing them indoors to watch afternoon telly and so on is deeply odd in my view
does it count if you're slightly mad..
The curtains were to keep the light out so they didn't get up so early....
Hope she feels better soon, CW
Re: Injured hen
Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:Compostwoman wrote:and lays lovely brown eggs for 26 out of 30 days a year.....
are those chicken years?
Always there to correct, Billy....
26 days a month out of 30 days a month ( or 31, or 28, or 29...)
Compostwoman- Posts : 5688
Join date : 2009-11-08
Re: Injured hen
Hope to hear good news over the weekend, then.
Dandelion- Admin
- Posts : 5416
Join date : 2010-01-17
Age : 67
Location : Ledbury, Herefordshire
Re: Injured hen
Dandelion wrote:Hope to hear good news over the weekend, then.
Fingers crossed, D!
She is standing up again to eat and drink and poo, so that is improvement...
Compostwoman- Posts : 5688
Join date : 2009-11-08
Re: Injured hen
Compostwoman wrote:
Always the best ones that get injured or got by the fox.......sigh
Unfortunately very true
theabsinthefairy- Posts : 10
Join date : 2011-01-21
Re: Injured hen
Well today she has climbed out of the box and walked a few steps AND stood for about 20 mins without "flopping down"
So fingers crossed it is working....
So fingers crossed it is working....
Compostwoman- Posts : 5688
Join date : 2009-11-08
Re: Injured hen
Just to let you all know, by Tues 25 th Jan she was walking with a slight limp and flapping her wings
so Wednesday morning I put her back in with the others and she is now fully recovered and laying, again
so Wednesday morning I put her back in with the others and she is now fully recovered and laying, again
Compostwoman- Posts : 5688
Join date : 2009-11-08
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