80 degrees F outside warm enough for quarantined hen?

[StPaulieGirls]

Hey,

We have a mite recurrence. I have a pretty anemic hen. Bathed her, dried her halfway and Sevined her. She's damp.

Tonight in St. Paul, MN, it'll be 80 degrees and humid out. Is that warm enough for a chicken in hospital? Should I traumatise her with some more blowdrying first? The basement bathroom which is our winter hospital is cold without a heater. I could move her down there and heat it, but that seems silly given the "Extreme Heat Advisory" we're under overnight...

Thanks...

- Kerri and sick Peony

 

[mccabe]

aloha kerri, oh my. blowdrying probably was pretty scary. i wouldn't put her through that again. let peony tell you what she needs. keep her close, not down in the basement. provide some sort of cage, carrier, box, and do rig a light for her. wrap her loosely in a towel, give her plenty of fresh water, good food and a few little treats, especially a bit of protein. A fresh egg, a few tiny slivers of meat, fish, or, yes, poultry, may make her happy. If she shakes off the towel in a short time, she's a bit warm. if she huddles and seems miserable, turn on the warming light. make sure she has fresh air, but no drafts. for the first 24 hours you need to check her often, even through the night. adjust her environment according to her needs and what her behavior tells you.

the bigger problem is the mites. they will damage the entire flock and kill a setting hen. provide a dusting box for them. this site, or a book on raising chickens at the library, or even a chicken person in your area, can provide you with details. a good dusting area will solve the mite problem. and you can sprinkle a little sevin or whatever you generally use, in with the dirt. make it roomy. if you can allow them out in to the yard, and a flowerbed or dirt area, all the better. if you create the dusting area, say in your coop yard, make sure it is covered or is under a covered area. rain will destroy a dusting box.

peony is lucky to have you. good luck.

 

[StPaulieGirls]

Thanks, mccabe, for your encouragement and advice. I gave her water with electrolytes in a syringe an hour ago and since then, she's actually stood up, scratched, ate some of the scrambled egg and pellets I gave her, so maybe she'll survive the night.

I'll pull out our sweeter heater and rig it up out there. That way she can snuggle up to it or stay far away.

I HATE MITES. I mean, I really hate them. I went through this same thing back in February, cleaned the coop so that you could have eaten off the poop shelf, but we have more mice than we can keep up with this year. I guess I mean I HATE MICE, technically.

I hope she'll make it through the night. She's always been our most fragile and least intelligent hen, but she's by far our prettiest and tamest.

Have a good night!

- Kerri