Chicken Concussions

[chicken8]

I was checking out my chicks (2-3 weeks) old the other evening.

I would get set them on the top of the external nest box at about chest height and check their weight, for lice, etc. One of them got startled and shot off the box like a rocket and right into a post head first. It staggered around then seemed to be knocked out for a minute or two. This was followed by about 5 minutes where it couldn't stand up and it would kind of fall asleep for a few seconds. I picked it up and held it in a towel for a while and gave it some water with ACV. After about 30 minutes it seemed to have recovered enough and I put it under back under broody. It seemed fine the next day.

Has anybody ever had one of their chickens get knocked out like that? Thankfully it seems to have recovered, but it kind of threw me off because I had never thought about chicks or chickens getting KO'd. Should I watch out for TBI or the effects of concussion now? How would I do that with a chicken?

It seems skittish around me now (well, moreso). Will it ever trust me again?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Wry neck can be seen with injury...sounds like the little guy is OK though if he seems to have no ill effects. So I wouldn't worry too much.

They are so very young at three weeks of age and he will forget the incident...they are young enough to bond with new peeps and have it be as if they were together their whole lives, for example.