25 day old chick with punctured lung...help!

[alabamaterri]

I have a 25 day old chick that was acting strange last night and her 2 Moms didn't want anything to do with her. Yes...for some reason, all my hens pair up when nesting and co-parent even if only 1 chick hatches, lol. I have a large rectangular nesting box that they both sit in with her. However, they knew something was wrong with it. One was having nothing to do with it, and the other was clucking and moving around the coop...but not settling into her normal box, and the chick was by itself, shaking, puffed up and leaning on one side wall of the box.

I brought the chick in the house into a quiet place. She stood there shaking, leaning to one side and making a clicking noise when she took a breath. I looked under her wing, near the top of her back and there was a tiny triangular hole there. Being an NICU nurse and dealing with preemies and punctured lungs, I felt and it did not feel like the plueral space was holding air, so maybe a chance the lung had not totally collapsed. I got some clear tegaderm and placed over the 'hole'. Within 10 minutes, she stood up straight, started moving around and chirping, totally acting normal. She still was making a faint crackle/clicking noise. I set her up a box with heat lamp in the garage.

This morning, she is chirping, eating and drinking but still has the faint 'clicking' . I can see the injury and it has leaked a tiny bit of drainage underneath, (making the injury look 3 times the size), but it doesn't appear to be infected or oozing anything.

My question is this......I went to let the 2 Moms out this morning. Dovey(our 18 mo. old hen) came immediately out, still clucking for the chick but going on about her business. Annie (18 mo old, first time mom) is desperately clucking and hunting for her chick. I had to make her get out of the coop and now she is frantically searching the yard and calling for her. I know the chick cannot go back out in the pen with all the others, just can't risk it. But.....would it be okay to bring the Mom and put her into the play pen that I have set up for the chick?? Assuming the chick survives, it would make transition easier when it goes back out to the big pen, as it would be with it's mother(rather than it going it alone). OR???....Is the mom going to try to hurt it once she gets around it again and realizes something is wrong with it????

I would appreciate any help on this matter.

 

[BantyChooks]

.Is the mom going to try to hurt it once she gets around it again and realizes something is wrong with it????

I don't think the mom would, no. I would attempt very carefully to put them together in the play pen and make sure there's no rough play going on. How was she with the chick before? If she's a rough mother (knocking the chick over, wandering off, etc) I might err on the side of caution and keep the chick alone.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would try her with Mom and see how she does, you can always pull her back out or separate Mom. It would be good if she can at least be outside near the others if possible.

The clicking is a bit concerning but may just be due to an air sac puncture. Is there any air under the skin anywhere?
If the clicking it continues, then I would consider administering an antibiotic to help with any possible infection. Tylan/Tylosin is good for respiratory infection, Amoxicillin can be used as well.

Here's a very good video about the Avian Respiratory system - it shows the location of the 9 Air Sacs along with the 2 Lungs.

 

[alabamaterri]

I don't think the mom would, no. I would attempt very carefully to put them together in the play pen and make sure there's no rough play going on. How was she with the chick before? If she's a rough mother (knocking the chick over, wandering off, etc) I might err on the side of caution and keep the chick alone.

This is a first time Mom (Annie)that is with her now. The other hen(Dovey) that co-nested and co-parented with her the first few weeks, has abandoned 3 chicks from her other nestings. She easily gave up on this one now.

Annie is doing fine with her in the playpen, and is very content to just sit with the chick and 'chatter' with her. She is a very loving mom.