My Missing chicken Survived almost 2 months inside a barrel (disturbing sad story)

[TheRightHenMan]

Hello,
About a month and 20 days ago I was missing a hen, I believed she must have wondered off to lay a clutch of eggs.
I looked for her for about a week around my property and she wasn't anywhere to be found, so I gave up.
A week later another hen goes missing.
Fast forward a month and 20 days, I had family members help clean a pile of old junk I had (cans, metal, tools), on that pile there was this metal huge standard barrel but it had one side 80 percent cut opened.we found a dead chicken halfway through, she had been the one missing a week later after the first one. She was able to squish through enough to get in, but the metal side opening was too stiff to open out from the inside. The next day I finally got around to getting the dead chicken body out.
To my surprise the first chicken was alive inside the metal barrel. She was feathers and bones, her wattle and crest we're baked blacked from being inside the hot barrel.
How didn't she did, ?! She was missing for nearly two months, I guess she ate parts of the dead chicken she was in there with, maybe she ate her eggs ?
I quickly smashed the can hinged bottom out and got her into a cage, she drank so much water and vomited it when she ate. She didn't walk straight and had severely sensitive to sunlight.
I feel so terrible I didn't look inside the barrel, but the barrel was closed and the chickens came from under and got stuck inside !
Is it physically possible for chickens to survive 2 months with no sun, 100 degree heat, no food ?

 

[chrissynemetz]

That's amazing! She must be a real fighter! Keep us posted on her recovery

 

[MrModina]

That's one tough chicken!

 

[ThinMintTheChicken]

Wow! Do you have any pictures of her? I hope she recovers well!

 

[Bonwell]

How did she get water?? That's a miracle she was still alive!

 

[FowlRancher]

You can't beat yourself up too much over this, you can't chicken proof every aspect of your life and it was just a freak incident.

Amazing that she survived! Hope she can recover.

 

[TwistedTayy]

With emaciated animals, you want to make sure they are actually eating SMALL amounts of food frequently and same thing with water. It shocks their system otherwise. With mammals, their stomachs can actually rupture. I’d maybe fill up a cap or lid of some kind with starter or water (or a mash) and then refill that when it empties so there is a limit to how much she can eat at one time and she can’t gorge herself. Also I’d assume supplements in the water too something like nutri French that is a balanced nutritional supplement would be good and I’d think probiotics and electrolytes too.

 

[CloneFly]

With emaciated animals, you want to make sure they are actually eating SMALL amounts of food frequently and same thing with water. It shocks their system otherwise. With mammals, their stomachs can actually rupture. I’d maybe fill up a cap or lid of some kind with starter or water (or a mash) and then refill that when it empties so there is a limit to how much she can eat at one time and she can’t gorge herself. Also I’d assume supplements in the water too something like nutri French that is a balanced nutritional supplement would be good and I’d think probiotics and electrolytes too.

I agree. Small amounts is best right now. Prayers for the little fluffy one