Advice needed for Rescued Hen

[DottiesMum]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Elaine and I am newly registered here today 17th August, although I have been viewing this web site for about 18 months on and off. I live in Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand.

We have a flock of ten chickens that we have had for nearly two years now and they are fine, very healthy etc but I am looking for advice in regards to (what we think) is an abandoned roughly two month old brown shaver hen that we found on the outskirts of town last week. There is a rest area coming into the town where people dump cockerels and hens and we found this young hen (now called Dottie) in a very terrified and unhealthy state, i.e. she was teaming with nits, really skinny and whoever cut back her wing feathers needs their arms chopping off IMO, brutal doesn't cover it! Anyway, we have been dousing her with DE and give her a shower/bath every second day, the egg sacks of the nits are coming away and she is brighter than she was this time last week when we found her, she is clucking away to herself now. We keep her in a large dog cage with hay, she is well watered and I have been feeding her up with chicken feed in the morning and cooked steak and veggies at night, (protein). My concern is that although she stands up she won't walk, how do I encourage her to walk around or am I being too previous, i.e. expecting too much of her at this moment? We have had some good sunshine these last two days and I have been sitting out with her but she is just so wobbly on her feet. Will she come right? I really do need advice on how to get her back to good health. I would ask our friend that we got our original flock from but they are away overseas so thought I might be blessed with assistance from members of BYC.

Thanking BYC Community Members in advance.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Welcome to BYC..

Is her comb very pale ? If i had my guesses I would say anemia from the lice. She sounds very weak and you must of gotten to her just in time.
I hope she is separated from your flock in case she has some thing catching. Scrambled eggs are high in protean and I have never met a chicken that didnt love them. After she gets her feet (and I do think its a little early) give her a good worming as well. I dont think this is probable but i will also mention her wings being cut , she may be a bit off balance from that. Not too likely though.

 

[DottiesMum]

Hi Granny Hatchet,

Thank you very much for your advice, yes her comb although little is very pale. I did forget to mention in my original post that I have been feeding her scrambled eggs as well, I just keep thinking protean, protean. She is no where near the other hens, we do use DE regularly for them as well. We keep Dottie inside at night in our laundry, and actually in the last hour she has walked from the front of the dog cage she is in to the back so hopefully I am doing something right, tender loving care and patience would seem the order of the day. I will get onto the worming thing as well, we just want to give her a chance after such a rotten start. This is the first time I have had the experience of nursing an animal back to health and I am determined for Dottie to return to being a healthy young hen in all her chicken splendor.

Many thank you's to you from myself and Dottie.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

great news . you are welcome

 

[drumstick diva]

You must be Dottie's guardian angel to have spotted her and given her a chance at a good chicken life. I can never understand what drives people to be so horrible to animals and humans as well. Here in US - people generally get "Polyvisol " infant vitamins (no iron) and give 2 or 3 drops 3 times a day to give chicks/chickens a boost. I don't know if you have something similar in NZ.

Please update on her progress, we would love to hear how she is doing. If you need more assistance you may want to post at "emergencies, diseases, injuries, cures,"thread'

So glad you joined the Backyard chickens flock

 

[Teila]

Hey there DottiesMum, Welcome to BYC

It sounds like you are doing everything you can for Dottie and I just wanted to say Kudos to You for rescuing her.

I too am disappointed with some of human kind and the way they think animals are a disposable item and dump them somewhere where they will have little to no chance of survival.

Dottie is definitely one of the lucky ones, having found you and I wish you and her all the best.

Please let us know how she goes?

Kind Regards
Teila

 

[DottiesMum]

Hello Drumstick Diva,

Thank you for the advice regarding the Polyvisol infant vitamins, I have checked the web and in NZ it comes with iron in it so based on what you say that won't be happening. However I am going to pop in to see our vet tomorrow (we have two cats) about the worming as advised by Granny Hatchet and will also hit them up about an appropriate alternative for the vitamins with no iron.

Lots of people get very upset about the chickens that get deposited at the rest area outside of town, there is a lot though that think it's an 'attraction', ggrrr! There are about a dozen cockerels out there with equally as many hens. As terrible as this sounds her freezing in absolute fear has been her saving grace as she has landed with us where she will be cared for properly, and advice to me to help her get well from the BYC community will be diligently followed.

I will for sure update on Dottie's progress, I will need advice in the future on the integration thing with our existing hens, but right now it is her health that is paramount. She has improved already in the week that she has been here, and another bath for her tomorrow, she doesn't struggle against me and appears to love the blow drying from my hair dryer, it's her 'spa day'.

I am very pleased that I made the decision to join this community, thank you for your welcome and advice.

 

[DottiesMum]

Thank you Teila, I am very definitely doing everything in my power to make right the wrongs that has been done to Dottie by some com-passionless human. With the help of compassionate human beings on BYC I am sure I will achieve my goal for her. She has every right for a chance to live a good and cared for life and I'm out to give it to her.

Heaps of thanks
Elaine

 

[Granny Hatchet]

good morning, reading your post (again) I had an idea about the others. Do you have farm stores ? we have Tractor Supply Co. and in the store is a product called Ivermectin. It is an apple flavored goat wormer that is really no good for worms but pretty good for lice/mites. It isnt costly and chickens readily eat it. You could in fact mix a tube of it in with some feed or table scraps and take it to these abandoned chickens. It would help them quite a bit. Not as much as you are doing for Dottie but maybe enough to get them through and build them back up as well.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!