Broken/dislocated jaw

Serchick

Chirping
Apr 21, 2019
23
31
51
Colorado Springs, CO
Hello,
Our 7 week old pullet "Fried Rice" slammed head first into the side of the run trying to get back in after escaping. Her jaw is broken or dislocated. 20190421_081841.jpg 20190421_081831.jpg
She was bleeding from both nostrils & crying. Her eyes were initially both shut & she wouldn't stand. We straightened the jaw somewhat, (you can see from the top it is now only slightly offset) after which she was able to move it a little. I moved her to the brooder with a heat plate & water.i syringed some water in her mouth which she drank. I couldn't open her jaw enough to see her esophagus.
5 hour later she is up, trying to preen, with one eye shut & her mouth hanging open.
I can syringe her water & mushy food for a bit, but our chickens are to be food: eggs & meat. I don't want her to suffer but can't afford a vet.
Thoughts? Advice?
 

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Sorry about your pullet. I would try to see an avian vet on Monday if possible, but that can be expensive. I looked up some similar posts about young chickens with fractured jaws, and none seemed to have any answers. Someone suggested try to repair the broken beak with tissue paper and superglue, but this chicken is really growing right now, so that might not work.

I would try to get it eating some very wet mash of chick feed, lots of water, and a little cooked egg in a small bowl with sides. . Hopefully it will heal as she grows.

There are some suggestions and more threads to read in post 6 and 10 here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rooster-with-broken-lower-jaw-beak.1048583/
 
I'm still having trouble finding her esophagus & while she's drinking water I dribble into her mouth, she won't swallow the mushy food I put I her mouth. She just shakes her head to get it out. We had a family meeting where I explained what I'd read & how she would need such a long time to recover & that it may never work. My kids voted to end it before she got too miserable. So we're letting her hang out with her friends while we get ready for our first chicken harvest. :hit
 
Is she a meat chicken? If so, that doesn’t sound like a bad thing to go ahead and do. Sorry that this happened, but glad that she gets to spend some time hanging out. I am not an expert on butchering, but from all my reading, you will want to let her body “rest” in the refrigerator for 2-3 days after butchering for the best flavor and eating. It is supposed to be more tender too.
 

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