NEW MEMBER, NEEDS URGENT ADVICE ON SPOOKED/iINJURED HEN!!

[annk1839]

Hi, I have three Rhode Island reds.. and so far so good they are free range from morn till dusk. But last night one of the hens was missing from the coop when I went to lock it up, I looked in all the usual places but no sign. This morning I was looking again, when my neighbour a farmer found her and returned her to me. She is in pretty bad shape, she seems drunk like a bit wobbly on her feet and definitely hurt(although I don't know where) Her feathers seem a bit matted with muck (I'm guessing from wherever she slept) but none missing or no signs of blood, I have returned her with the other two hens and she is resting in the coop. I'm just wondering is the right thing to do, or what should I do? I don't want her to be picked on by the other two, but if she's not seriously injured I don't want to keep her away from them for too long either??? Really confused... please help!!!

 

[sourland]

Sorry for the circumstances. I'd leave her with her flock, but closely monitor to see how she is doing. She may be chilled, in shock, or even injured. You will have a better idea as to what is going on tomorrow. Good luck.

 

[annk1839]

Oh I hope so, I was so worried about her last night! And I thought when I found her I'd be more content but still not sure! There's is no vet near me that would look at a chicken so I'm second guessing everything! Hope they get back to this soon

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I'm no expert so hopefully others will chime in.

You can bathe her in some warm water to check for wounds better and clean off the muck. Make sure she's dry before putting her back outside. I'm in Ohio, a wet bird now would not survive. If you don't see obvious injury I'd keep an eye on her. She could be in shock from her night away from home. If she's eating, drinking, and pooping those are good signs. Make sure the others don't pick on her. That would only cause her more stress.

Signs of pain in a chicken are making themselves into a ball. They will pull their head in and stand around. Often times with their eyes closed.

Chickens are very tough. You'd be surprised by what they can survive. Good luck with her.

 

[sourland]

Oh I hope so, I was so worried about her last night! And I thought when I found her I'd be more content but still not sure! There's is no vet near me that would look at a chicken so I'm second guessing everything! Hope they get back to this soon

Is this a picture from today ? Where are you located, and what is your weather like ?

 

[annk1839]

She's not eating, well not whilst I've been watching her anyway! She seems to prefer standing then sitting which isnt normal for her! I'll look in the morning too see what way she is holding her head in the morning! I'm in ireland, BYC is always where I look to find out silly things but just became a member now! This is a picture I had take previously. It's pretty cold here too!!

 

[sourland]

If it is really cold, you might want to bring her inside to warm up, but return her to the coop as soon as is possible.

 

[Banaynaychicken]

The best thing to do at first is not to panic.

Evaluate your hen, make sure that no bones have been broken.

This includes wings. I do recommend giving your hen a bath. Dog shampoo and horse til and mane shampoo works great for chickens. Blow dry her afterwards, make sure the blow dryer is not too hot. Worst case scenario is you'll fry her skin. DO NOT USE DISH SOAP OR HUMAN SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER.

If she is acting normal today, I would say to closely monitor her.

If she is still acting drunk, check for a head injury.

This is the biggest issue with dunk walking and what we call "floppy neck" in some cases. Very gently feel her head for abnormal shapes or divots, and consider comparing it to the way the other hens skull feels. If she is walking pretty normally and drinking on her own, she may be tempted to eat something that she really likes.


Try feeding her something that would otherwise be considered a treat (Strawberries, watermelon, bananas, something sweet and soft) .

 

[annk1839]

Thank you all so much for your help!! How long should I give her to come back to normal.. 5-7 days? It's late here now so I'll go out in the morning with some treats and see how she is doing and check her skull compared to the others! How would I know if her leg or wing is broken? When I was having a feel of her earlier she was able to spread out both wings and was clearly telling me to leave her alone so I let her go as I didn't want to stress her out any further!!

 

[Banaynaychicken]

Thank you all so much for your help!! How long should I give her to come back to normal.. 5-7 days? It's late here now so I'll go out in the morning with some treats and see how she is doing and check her skull compared to the others! How would I know if her leg or wing is broken? When I was having a feel of her earlier she was able to spread out both wings and was clearly telling me to leave her alone so I let her go as I didn't want to stress her out any further!!

The more you handle her the more you will notice what is right from wrong. If she flaps her wings at you, release her to do her own thing until you can gain control of her.

as for checkign in on her and watching for "progress", I usually give my sick birds 2 weeks to recover before either seeking out an avian specialist, or putting the bird out of their pain....

And being able to tell if something is broken is pretty easy.

She will either limp, or drag the broken appendage pretty noticably.

Im hoping for your hen it is simply a minor case of culture shock.

The wild is a scary place afterall.