Where do you keep your sick or injured poultry?

[azhenhouse]

I posted a similar question in the duck forum, so if you responded to that post you don't need to respond here.

I keep my baby chicks and ducklings in the house until they are old enough to go out, and if any of my poultry need medical care they come into the house for treatment. Am I in the majority or minority?

 

[SteveBaz]

I have a brand new thread discussion on creating a hospital in my basement. "· My Pet Hospital In the Basement" is just above your post. I was going to get new chickies but decided after talking to momma to turn it into a sick-bay of sorts in the event of any emergency to have one ready instead of freaking out as the emergency was going on. Mine is in the basement. I had 3 choices Garage, Shed or the basement and that seemed the most logical to me bc of the warmer place and it in a heated room with a dog kennel on a table for treatment with electricity for heat or other electrical needs and lighting in there right above my bench. With it being in the clothes washer, clothes dryer and furnace downstairs it also creates heat to make the room way more comfortable than any other choices I have at the moment.

I believe in being a prepared person in general. I tend to be a bit over the top also so when it comes to doing things I am all in. Minority or majority for me is not the question. Some folks idea here which I believe is more practical than my compassion to animal is a AX, Shovel, hole and quick lime. I can do that and have no issues about quick humane dispatching of an injured animal. I believe it's the proper action to take in some cases but I am also a softy when it comes to injuries that do not require the AX just yet. Your question in my opinion is MINORITY. You must have a desire and willing to stitch up or do whatever it takes and in my opinion is that most people are squeamish to inject, cut, sew, hurt for the better if necessary. Most I believe would go to a vet if they could not themselves. These are the same person that would have the vet put it down for them. I grew up on a farm and if you understand the environment its part of the job, period. Hope this may have answered part or all of your questions.

 

[GreenMeadows]

Lots of folks keep them in the house but if you are in and out of the coop to the house then all the birds will get the same thing I would think??? I have a hospital pen outside away from all other birds like 2 acres away and I keep there if I need to.
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[vfem]

Depends on what it wrong. If its major and I need to over see everything many times a day, its in the house.

But I do keep a 'quarantine' pen. Its there for sick birds, new birds, broodies, ect. I had a bird hurt her wing recently, she stayed in the house overnight and then was moved to the quarantine pen for about a week before I knew she was good to go back in the coop. That pen is a life saver!

Its a 2' x 3' x 4' pen with a sleeping box and several perches. This way hurt birds can't move too much, I can remove the perches if need be and adjust the box. Of course this is not long term or permanent by any means, but it works for 'situations'.

 

[GreenMeadows]

I agree! I have 3 in the house because they are here 30 days and then outside but then I have a pen for CRD or contagious issues in the back pasture.
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[stcroixusvi]

We have a shop room in our basement that gets turned into a clinic when needed. And I do bathe our sick chicken in a plastic tub in our bathtub. We have a very high needs chicken on her second prolapse. I wonder if we should put her down, but she doesn't seem bothered by it, eats, drinks, and otherwise acts healthy. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Tracydr]

It depends on the problem. If its a critical illness, I'll put them in the house and bring them inside, under a lamp so that I can easily watch them and doctor them. For minor injuries or pecking, I put them in the garden with the gentler chickens. I have some young silkies, a shy Hamburg hen and a couple of Cornish Xs that were being pecked in there roaming the garden and grazing the nice, green rye grass aisle ways.
For serious infectious illness, I cull.

 

[Tracydr]

I always have an empty dog crate ready if needed for any injury that my garden or house isn't suited for, as well.

 

[sham30]

in my garage in a large dog crate

much to my husbands dismay!

 

[CMV]

I have different set-ups for different needs- a mobile tractor large enough to hold up to 8 birds in quarantine out in the yard, a variety of small cages including a wire-bottomed cage for "broody busting", and then a larger crate for long-term convalescence. I can move the cages wherever they are needed whether it be indoors (house, basement) or outdoors (garage, shed, coop). The only thing I don't have is a third coop, which I could really use.

My birthday is coming, though...