Chicken hit by car.

[SamHillandherChicks]

About 2-3 weeks ago our beloved Raspberry, a 7mo buff Orpington, was hit by a car. She survived which was a shock to us, with a damaged leg. I don’t think it was broken and could not feel any breaks but it was obviously causing her pain in her hip. She rested in the coop for about a week before she started slowly limping out in the morning. Twice I carried her back at night, but since she has been getting in and out. Her limp seems a lot better now after 2-1/2 weeks. She is still very slightly limping, but she has mostly recovered.

The reason I am posting is because I have been seeing shiny black poops around. I do not know if they are hers. We don’t feed them anything other than regular pellets and what they forage or get out of the scraps pile. I looked it up and it said likely internal bleeding, but wouldn’t she have died already? She seems so much better. I’m not sure if it’s her or if one of the others are sick. I only have 5 birds, but I don’t really have a place to separate them. Anything I should or can do? I also don’t think she is laying, which is expected and fine, should I expect her to not lay again?

 

[Alexandra Runner]

I am so sorry. Poor Raspberry! Could you post a picture of the poops? They may just be cecal poops, but one can't be sure without seeing them.

 

[azygous]

Do you ever mix hearth ashes into your compost of planting beds? Chickens picking up grit in such locations will poop coal black turds. It's harmless.

If you happen to have wild turkeys moving through, they often poop black turds due to the variety of stuff they eat.

If your hen was bleeding internally, she would be acting weak and probably off balance due to dehydration from internal blood loss. In other words, if she's behaving normally, she's likely just fine.

 

[Mantisquailman]

How did she get hit by a car?? All my chickens would scatter.

 

[Alexandra Runner]

How did she get hit by a car?? All my chickens would scatter.

Where I'm at, at least, they run across the back roads all. The. Time. If someone was driving too fast (like they do here), I would not be at all surprised.

 

[SamHillandherChicks]

How did she get hit by a car?? All my chickens would scatter.

Despite everything they go to the road to eat the grit, even though they have some in the coop. I think she got scared and ran into the car as it was on the other side passing. We saw it happen and despite it being a big thud she ran and hid. But she was never floppy or anything, just acted hurt.

 

[SamHillandherChicks]

Do you ever mix hearth ashes into your compost of planting beds? Chickens picking up grit in such locations will poop coal black turds. It's harmless.

If you happen to have wild turkeys moving through, they often poop black turds due to the variety of stuff they eat.

If your hen was bleeding internally, she would be acting weak and probably off balance due to dehydration from internal blood loss. In other words, if she's behaving normally, she's likely just fine.

It is certainly not turkey poop, or from ashes. I have no clue what else it could be.

 

[azygous]

If she's been eating dirt from a bed where decomposing leaves are, that also can make poop black.