Broken? Wing

CrazyBeets · Apr 5, 2015

I'm new so bare with me! I've had chickens for about a year, while my husband on the other hand grew up in a zoo (literally). We noticed one of our new chickens (got them about three weeks ago) acting odd. His solution was to wack her head off, I on the other hand cried, so now we're trying to fix her up.

We started with seven hens, then we purchased 8 more at a bird auction (six in one group, two in another). The now injured one, Pineapple, was one of the two (the other one is called JoJo, because he/she/it hasn't quite decided if it is a boy, girl, or both). She was doing fine for the first couple of weeks, then about a week ago I noticed that one of the other older ladies was under the weather, so we started them all on antibiotics. Then a few days later, Pineapple was being antisocial, then we noticed that her right wing was hanging down to the ground and she was laying down a lot. JoJo and one of the other new chickens were watching over her and protecting her from our older ladies. I took Pineapple out and put her in a playpen by herself, because I was concerned that she might have sprained her wing or got beat up. She is very light and has nothing in her snack pouch (crop is what my husband calls it), while our other chickens have a lot in their reserve. After a day alone I put her back with the rest of the chickens (who tried to beat her up, but she ran away from them).

Later that evening I went to check on them and noticed that Pineapple was laying on her back under the coop ramp. I walked right up to her and she just looked at me, but didn't get up. Apparently she tried to jump up on the ramp but fell off and landed on her good wing and now could get up (that's why she's called Pineapple, because I found her upside down). I know this because when I righted her, she tried it again and almost fell off again. So I picked her up and we wrapped her wing back into place with vet wrap and separated her from the other ladies.

Now, here's my problem--I'm starting to wonder if it was an injured wing or not, or if she is just depressed (?!) or not. When I put her in her play pen, she just lays there. I have seen her eat on her own and drink on her own (just a little), but she lays down when she does it. When she does get up, she's pretty wobbly and tips over backwards or falls on her side. I'm not sure if it is because she doesn't have her other wing to balance her? Tonight I did sit in her play pen and propped her up with one hand and gave her food with the other. She ate, ate, ate then drank and drank, then ate some more, like she was starving. When she had enough she wobbled off and tipped over onto her butt and just sat there.

I don't think she had a stroke, because her eyes are blinking normally and she can aim fine when eating. The husband is still thinking that she needs to go, but I'm willing to hold on for another week or so if you guys think there's a chance. Any suggestions?

justplainbatty · Apr 5, 2015

CrazyBeets said:
I'm new so bare with me! I've had chickens for about a year, while my husband on the other hand grew up in a zoo (literally). We noticed one of our new chickens (got them about three weeks ago) acting odd. His solution was to wack her head off, I on the other hand cried, so now we're trying to fix her up.

We started with seven hens, then we purchased 8 more at a bird auction (six in one group, two in another). The now injured one, Pineapple, was one of the two (the other one is called JoJo, because he/she/it hasn't quite decided if it is a boy, girl, or both). She was doing fine for the first couple of weeks, then about a week ago I noticed that one of the other older ladies was under the weather, so we started them all on antibiotics. Then a few days later, Pineapple was being antisocial, then we noticed that her right wing was hanging down to the ground and she was laying down a lot. JoJo and one of the other new chickens were watching over her and protecting her from our older ladies. I took Pineapple out and put her in a playpen by herself, because I was concerned that she might have sprained her wing or got beat up. She is very light and has nothing in her snack pouch (crop is what my husband calls it), while our other chickens have a lot in their reserve. After a day alone I put her back with the rest of the chickens (who tried to beat her up, but she ran away from them).

Later that evening I went to check on them and noticed that Pineapple was laying on her back under the coop ramp. I walked right up to her and she just looked at me, but didn't get up. Apparently she tried to jump up on the ramp but fell off and landed on her good wing and now could get up (that's why she's called Pineapple, because I found her upside down). I know this because when I righted her, she tried it again and almost fell off again. So I picked her up and we wrapped her wing back into place with vet wrap and separated her from the other ladies.

Now, here's my problem--I'm starting to wonder if it was an injured wing or not, or if she is just depressed (?!) or not. When I put her in her play pen, she just lays there. I have seen her eat on her own and drink on her own (just a little), but she lays down when she does it. When she does get up, she's pretty wobbly and tips over backwards or falls on her side. I'm not sure if it is because she doesn't have her other wing to balance her? Tonight I did sit in her play pen and propped her up with one hand and gave her food with the other. She ate, ate, ate then drank and drank, then ate some more, like she was starving. When she had enough she wobbled off and tipped over onto her butt and just sat there.

I don't think she had a stroke, because her eyes are blinking normally and she can aim fine when eating. The husband is still thinking that she needs to go, but I'm willing to hold on for another week or so if you guys think there's a chance. Any suggestions?

Welcome to our flock!

I love the term snack pouch but yes, it is called a crop. My concern is mareks. How old is this bird? Did you find a break in a bone on the wing? It sounds as if the wing is paralyzed. If she is young there is a chance it is wry neck. Maybe an ear infection but, the wing thing is worrying me. Did you just put all these birds together in the coop as you got them or did you quarantine each set? Buying from an auction is so risky, no telling what they may each individually have disease wise.

ETA: after re reading your post, check to see if she is really thin. Feel for the keel bone, if it seems sharp and protruding, she may have been starved or have nutritional disorders. Start her on vitamins and electrolytes at once. Find something with a lot of B vitamins like polyvisol w/o iron until you can get chick/chicken vitamins tomorrow. Keep her separate from all others and feed her all she can eat.
Unwrap her wing and check the bones. Let her perch on your arm (if she can) and drop your arm (keeping it level) and see if she flaps the wing in question. Let us know what you find.

CrazyBeets · Apr 6, 2015

Thanks for replying! My husband moved her wing around a bit when we first saw it and didn't think it was broken, that's why we thought it might be sprained (or dislocated?). She doesn't talk much and it didn't seem to hurt her. I think she's less than a year old, but she's not a chick any more. It is possible that she is regular chicken size and that she wasn't getting enough to eat because our old ladies are huge (like beastly looking freak chickens) and she's about half their size.

I did quarantine but with the new ladies (from the two groups) together. I was aiming for a week, but made it five days before I got tired of chasing JoJo down--it kept getting out somehow and I'd find it with the old ladies, on the fence, in the neighbor's yard, on top of the coop. They were all doing fine then.

I'll unwrap her and check to see what she does tomorrow, and pick up some of the electrolytes from the store too. Here's her picture, with her wing wrapped up. We are thinking she might be an Ameraucana of some sort. I'll let you know how it goes!

CrazyBeets · Apr 6, 2015

Well, I don't think it is looking very good. I unwrapped her wing, it doesn't seem to bother her. She isn't able to stand on her own, so she can't perch on my arm. When I set her down on the ground, she sits back on her knees (?) and her tail, but sometimes she tips over onto her side. She can right herself again, and she can move her legs but I don't think she could walk if she wanted. I felt around underneath her and could feel that bone running down her chest and in between her legs, it is very prominent.

I started her on the electrolyte water and I switched her to unmediated chick crumbles, because I was afraid the laying crumbles might damage her insides when she wasn't laying eggs. She is still very interested in food, but only when we hold her and offer it in our hand, she doesn't eat much when she's left to her own devices. Today she has eaten 6 or so times, probably a few tablespoons worth of crumble and I gave her some of our left over mixed veg and surprisingly she picked out all the carrots and ate those first, plus a few corn bits but didn't want anything to do with the peas, which I think is odd because our other chickens hate the carrots.

I suppose we will just keep babying her until she decides she's had enough? Any other suggestions are appreciated!

justplainbatty · Apr 6, 2015

CrazyBeets said:
Well, I don't think it is looking very good. I unwrapped her wing, it doesn't seem to bother her. She isn't able to stand on her own, so she can't perch on my arm. When I set her down on the ground, she sits back on her knees (?) and her tail, but sometimes she tips over onto her side. She can right herself again, and she can move her legs but I don't think she could walk if she wanted. I felt around underneath her and could feel that bone running down her chest and in between her legs, it is very prominent.

I started her on the electrolyte water and I switched her to unmediated chick crumbles, because I was afraid the laying crumbles might damage her insides when she wasn't laying eggs. She is still very interested in food, but only when we hold her and offer it in our hand, she doesn't eat much when she's left to her own devices. Today she has eaten 6 or so times, probably a few tablespoons worth of crumble and I gave her some of our left over mixed veg and surprisingly she picked out all the carrots and ate those first, plus a few corn bits but didn't want anything to do with the peas, which I think is odd because our other chickens hate the carrots.

I suppose we will just keep babying her until she decides she's had enough? Any other suggestions are appreciated!

Well, she could be a very good learning bird. If you want to keep chickens, you're going to have to become a detective,chicken psychologist and a veterinarian. The most impotrant things you can do for her right now is the chick feed and Vitamins. From your pic, she looks small for an LF bird. If her keel is that prominent, she is malnourished for some reason. I would get some valbazen or safeguard goat/cattle /equine paste and worm her too.
The reason she eats better when you hand feed her is, no one likes to eat alone. I recently had a hen in my hospital pen for 19 days. I noticed she wasn't eating much when I fed her and left the room. If I stayed, she'd eat a lot better. She was not sick, she got attacked by a fox and had some rear end damage. She is back with her flock and doing just fine, packing her 'snack pouch" lol before bed like she should.
She probably ate the carrots for the vitamins in them that her body is desperate for. Keep working with her. She may not make it but she may, with your help and you'll learn a lot from her.

CrazyBeets · Apr 7, 2015

Here's an update and it isn't a very good one. She's still alive, but now she has completely lost mobility. We had to move her inside due to rain, so she hangs out in the living room with me. Pineapple can't stand on her own. When I set her down in her crate she isn't able to sit properly, but instead sits on her knees and tail, then usually flops over to her side. Lately she has been sleeping on her side with her legs stretched out. She tries to stand when I pick her up and she kicks her legs sometimes; if I put her feet on my hand she will curl her toes around my fingers.

She is still eating. It is hit and miss; today she didn't want crumble, but ate some oat bran, carrots, a green bean and half a slice of bread. She won't drink any more, it is like she is having problems swallowing right. I tried the electrolyte stuff and she doesn't like it at all. I tried regular water and even cashew milk, but she shows no interest. If I dip her beak in, I can do that maybe six times or so before she flicks her head and stuff comes flying out.

I also noticed a few other things; this morning, she had some eye boogers on one side. It crusted a little and she scratched it off. I also noticed a tiny little bug crawling around on her face near her ear; it was clear/light tan and might have had wings. She completely lists to the left too for whatever reason.

justplainbatty · Apr 7, 2015

CrazyBeets said:
Here's an update and it isn't a very good one. She's still alive, but now she has completely lost mobility. We had to move her inside due to rain, so she hangs out in the living room with me. Pineapple can't stand on her own. When I set her down in her crate she isn't able to sit properly, but instead sits on her knees and tail, then usually flops over to her side. Lately she has been sleeping on her side with her legs stretched out. She tries to stand when I pick her up and she kicks her legs sometimes; if I put her feet on my hand she will curl her toes around my fingers.

She is still eating. It is hit and miss; today she didn't want crumble, but ate some oat bran, carrots, a green bean and half a slice of bread. She won't drink any more, it is like she is having problems swallowing right. I tried the electrolyte stuff and she doesn't like it at all. I tried regular water and even cashew milk, but she shows no interest. If I dip her beak in, I can do that maybe six times or so before she flicks her head and stuff comes flying out.

I also noticed a few other things; this morning, she had some eye boogers on one side. It crusted a little and she scratched it off. I also noticed a tiny little bug crawling around on her face near her ear; it was clear/light tan and might have had wings. She completely lists to the left too for whatever reason.

It sounds like lice to me! (don't worry chicken lice don't like people). Lice like to hide in chicken ears. you'll have to move her ear flap and look inside. She may have an ear infection that is affecting her balance. She also, since she is thin and stunted, needs vitamins desperately! Please get Poultry Nutri-drench or polyvisol with out iron liquid for infants. Give it to her by dropper. Get some Sevin dust (poultry dust) and cover her from the back of her comb to her tail working it through the feathers to her skin. Make sure you dust her butt and vent and under her wings. Do the whole thing again in 7 days. The lice suck her blood and make her weak and anemic. You have got to find a way to get the vitamins in her.
If she dies, send her for a necropsy so you know what killed her. That way you will know what to do for the rest of your birds if they show similar symptoms.
The crusty eyes might mean respiratory illness too. Look down her mouth and throat for mucous or any other abnormal thing. Let us know what you see in her throat and ears.
Sometimes chickens get multiple problems at the same time. We can try to address each issue and see if she makes it. Chickens have a strong will to live, don't give up on her if she is still trying!

CrazyBeets · Apr 10, 2015

Yes, she did have lice! We bought the Sevin and dusted her as well as all of the other ladies. I'm going to clean out the coop today and give that a dusting too now that it stopped raining finally.

I started dipping the bread in the vitamn water and she gobbled that up happily, so we have been doing that for a few days now. Last night, she finally decided to drink of her own accord and dipped her beak in the water cup half a dozen times while on my lap. Yey!

But...she hasn't moved or stood on her own for six days now. It is like she has no strength in her left leg, and her right leg keeps trying to make up for it so it is always extended and pushing. When I put her back in her crate she ends up on her left side with her legs stretched out. I propped her up on a towel.

Today I made her a little sling out of a t-shirt and hung a rope from the ceiling so that she could spend some time up right, but she keeps her left leg tucked up like a flamingo, and it shutters. Even in the sling she doesn't stand, but keeps her right leg extended and pushes it out to the side.

Lately she has been breathing out of her beak, not really huffing but little breaths. When I sit her on my lap and prop her up or tuck her legs under her so that she sits right, she keeps falling asleep on me, so I'm wondering if she's having problems sleeping on her side at night.

I think I'll try taking her outside for a little bit today now that it has warmed up and the sun came out. Hopefully that will give her a little kickstart. My husband and I both agreed to give her a week, and that's fast approaching. I hate to have to put her down while she is still interested in food, but unless she can walk or at least start standing, we aren't really keen on taking care of a handicapped chicken.

justplainbatty · Apr 10, 2015

CrazyBeets said:
Yes, she did have lice! We bought the Sevin and dusted her as well as all of the other ladies. I'm going to clean out the coop today and give that a dusting too now that it stopped raining finally.

I started dipping the bread in the vitamn water and she gobbled that up happily, so we have been doing that for a few days now. Last night, she finally decided to drink of her own accord and dipped her beak in the water cup half a dozen times while on my lap. Yey!

But...she hasn't moved or stood on her own for six days now. It is like she has no strength in her left leg, and her right leg keeps trying to make up for it so it is always extended and pushing. When I put her back in her crate she ends up on her left side with her legs stretched out. I propped her up on a towel.

Today I made her a little sling out of a t-shirt and hung a rope from the ceiling so that she could spend some time up right, but she keeps her left leg tucked up like a flamingo, and it shutters. Even in the sling she doesn't stand, but keeps her right leg extended and pushes it out to the side.

Lately she has been breathing out of her beak, not really huffing but little breaths. When I sit her on my lap and prop her up or tuck her legs under her so that she sits right, she keeps falling asleep on me, so I'm wondering if she's having problems sleeping on her side at night.

I think I'll try taking her outside for a little bit today now that it has warmed up and the sun came out. Hopefully that will give her a little kickstart. My husband and I both agreed to give her a week, and that's fast approaching. I hate to have to put her down while she is still interested in food, but unless she can walk or at least start standing, we aren't really keen on taking care of a handicapped chicken.

She needs more time. The sling, is it basically a chicken chair? It should help relieve the pressure in her organs that she feels when she is stuck on one side at night. She sleeps in your lap bc she is in good position, her body is fighting to recover, she is safe and comfortable in your lap and takes that time to rest. She is weary, lice have made her so anemic and tired. With a strong vitamin regimen she may recover the use of her legs but again, she needs time. Sounds like she had a rotten life before, you can give her a better one. Use the search bar on this site to look up chicken chairs or slings, you may be able to make one for her crate so she is in a good position.

ETA: remember to look in her ears, the lice may have laid eggs in there, it may be full or infected. That would also affect her balance. If you see crud in her ear's, read this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630778/gunky-ears It will give you step by step how to clean her ears. (By Dawg53)

deacons · Apr 10, 2015

Welcome to the forum, and to chickens!

I haven't experienced what you're describing, but just wanted to chime in and say that through this forum, I have read some pretty amazing recovery stories over the years. Chickens can be surprisingly resilient.

I completely understand what you're saying about investing a lot of time caring for a special needs chicken. Maybe it's worth a renegotiation about how much time you'll give her to improve? Maybe another week and then reassess? I'm a hopeless softy when it comes to animals though and would want to keep trying if it was feasible

The fact that she will still eat and drink on her own sounds positive to me though. Good luck with her, keep us updated!

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