Broken tail after being hit by baseball-sized hail!! Help!!

[abharrison]

My favorite hen, a precious Americauna got hit by a piece of hail during a sudden storm today. Her tail is hanging down and I know she must be in so much pain. She is still able to walk and is eating scratch grains, but I'm worried! Does anyone have any advice???

 

[PoultryGirly]

Can you post a picture (I think you have to have 10 posts to post one)? Is it her feathers that are broken, because I can't picture what your trying to explain? Good luck!

 

[abharrison]

It's her whole tail....It's just hanging down. I just went out and checked, and she was able to get up onto the roost, so that makes me feel a little better. I'm worried it might affect her pooping and laying though...

 

[PoultryGirly]

Well, chickens don't really have tails, it's there feathers that make them look like they have tails.
Is it this part?

 

[PoultryGirly]

Oh, I see. Since there aren't any bones in that tail-feather area, I wouldn't worry about it. You said it was a very large piece of ice, so I would imagine that it's sore where she got hit. It has proabably bruised and it feels broken. Some of her feathers may have even gotten broken, but otherwise, I think she'll be fine. Give her a few days/ a week, and I bet she'll come around. Good luck!

 

[abharrison]

Thanks so much! Yeah I hope so! It's just really floppy, so I bet it is just sore. I appreciate your help!

 

[PoultryGirly]

Glad I could help! Keep us updated in her progress!

 

[Nambroth]

Chickens do have a small tail with bones in it! It is called the pygostyle. It is small and covered with a fleshy bump. You can see it clearly on these bald chickens (not my photo): http://www.chillhour.com/img/weird/bald_chicken/bald_chicken_1.jpg

This post clearly shows how the long tail feathers attach: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...is-our-problem-bald-spots-update#post_6366103

Here's a bird skeleton diagram I drew that shows the pygostyle.. it is a pigeon but chickens have the same bones:



If she got hit by hail that big, it's possible your hen is injured. Now might be a good time to check her out; chickens are often more calm at night in the dark when we handle them. Can you go and give her a good feel, and see if anything feels wrong to you? You can compare her to one of your other hens if you need to. The tail-down posture might not mean that her tail itself is broken, but perhaps she is just hurt and is not perking her tail up the way she would when she was feeling good.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Wow, I didn't realize that chickens actually do have "tails"! Hopefully she's just bruised, though, with no broken bones!

 

[Brian Macker]

See a vet.