Chick smacked hard by coop door. Floppy now.

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I have a two month old half-grown chick that got smacked by the small coop door tonight (the door is hinged on the top and folds down). The door slipped when I was shutting them all in and it hit this poor baby pretty hard. The baby squealed and flapped into the corner. I managed to get a hand under him/her and lifted her to my lap. She's alert, but not really moving. I felt all along her neck, each wing and each leg. Nothing felt odd and she didn't act like it hurt with me feeling her all over. She can't or won't stand up. I put her down next to the coop where her hatch mates had gone to roost and turned to get the crate so I could bring her in. She managed to flop herself inside the coop (and over a two inch lip to do so). She's not moving normal though. I rolled her over on her back to check her legs and she was able to draw them up to her body. She's just not really standing.

Do we think she's just bruised? Have I really hurt her? I feel horrible for letting the door slip. I couldn't tell exactly where the door got her either. She's currently sequestered in a small dog crate and is in the house. I got a couple of drops of pain medicine in her (left over from what the vet gave me last time we did chicken surgery). What else should I do? She's sitting very still and kind of going to sleep (it being nighttime).

What should I do now?

 

[Judy]

I'd say you are doing fine. She certainly has been shocked. With a little TLC, she may be fine when she gets over the shock in a day or two.

Of course she could have serious injuries, and of course you could lose her, but you don't really have any control over that. Just give her a chance to recover, as you are doing. If she is OK, she will let you know when to put her back with her buddies.

A little yogurt, cooked egg, etc. in the morning would be a good boost. A few sips of Gatorade wouldn't hurt, either.

Let us know.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Thanks for the reassurance. It just tears me up when one of them is hurt, especially when it's my own clumsiness that did it!

Fingers crossed that she'll be okay. I'll treat her to some yogurt and egg in the morning. I have some red gatorade in there as well. Perhaps some in the water bowl tomorrow morning.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

 

[JennsPeeps]

If it's any consolation, I stepped on my buff orp's foot when she was about 2 weeks old. It bled, got bruised and swollen, and the scale fell off. I felt awful, just like you do. In a week she was 100% healed and now I have no idea which foot was injured.

Your girl is probalby very stunned, had the wind knocked out of her, and is bruised. Keep a close eye on her and let know know how she is in the morning.

 

[buck-wild-chick]

 

[Attack Chicken]

We all make mistakes. I've heard about a rooster getting knocked out cold for over a day and then coming back to life.

Poor baby is probably in a pretty deep shock. You can also disolve a baby asprin in 1 gallon of water, but the pain meds are alot better I think. Don't beat yourself up it happens

Praying for her!

 

[Judy]

I once rescued a one or two day old kitten whose mother was definitely no longer in the picture. I kept that fellow going for a month with wet paper towels to keep it pottying, and goat's milk. I took it to work with me (it had been found by the maintenance fellow) and fed it every hour or two, round the clock. After a full month, one day it had evidently become able to really run around, rather than just wiggling around a few inches. I opened the front door for some reason, then closed it, but it had dashed into the doorway, and I killed it.

Ugh.

We do the best we can.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

That's so sad, ddawn!

We may have a problem, houston. This morning we are awake and alert, but still not walking. She can flop around to move about the crate. One leg and foot are fine. I took her out and that foot looks and acts normal. The other foot doesn't seem to be responding to most stimuli. When I felt it the toes didn't flex like the first foot. Nothing is obviously broken. I felt all the way up the leg. When I got to where the leg meets the body the leg flexed, but I don't think the foot did anything. The toes aren't spread wide like a normal foot. They are relaxed and more together.

What do we think? I have to go off for the day, but I thought to leave her in the crate with food and water and just see if resting will help. It could just be bruised, but I'm wondering if it's something more. Nerves? A deep break that I can't feel? Right now she is resting sitting down with her feet up under her. I fed her some scrambled egg (a huge hit!) and she's pooping normally. I'm just scratching my head here on what to do to help...

 

[toredano]

Allmost sounds like a spinal or nerve injury. I would think hat maybe a nerve got pinched or bruised and is swelling. or could be head trauma and brain injury .With you saying one side is normal and other isnt.. sound very much like spinal or brain .. since that controls each side. If its neuroligical it takes time ot heal and for the swelling to go down. If it happend to get a blotclot .. it can kill it or be ok after a while.Its hard to say. I would say alot of supportive care and the less movement the better.Alot of time steroids are given but not sure if you can get any .And anti inflamatory will also help. I hope she makes it tho.

Dont blame yourself. It happends. It was an accident and dont make yourself crazy or beat yourself up over it.

I accdnetly shut my aunts hamster in the door when i was a kid. I got my butt blistered so bad over it. because I took him out after they told me not to. That must have been 30 years ago .

Good luck

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I was thinking spinal injury also initially, but the fact that one leg was strong this morning would indicate that's not so.

Update this evening-
Tiny Tim (as my snarky family has started calling her/him) is trying to stand up and use both legs. There is a lot more movement with the bad leg. She/he is still not using it normally, but it is definitely better than this morning. I'm thinking Toredano is right and perhaps I have bruised a nerve or something in there. Tiny Tim will stay in the house for the foreseeable future until she/he is up and moving normally. I just scrambled some more egg and she is literally gobbling it up! The plus side is that she is likely to be the most friendly chicken EVER with all the hand feeding!

She is isolated in a fairly small crate. She can stand up in it (barely) and can move around just a little. Hopefully that will keep her still enough to allow things to heal in there.

Fingers crossed! Thanks for all the help.