Chickens and Thunderstorm Please help

[Fishwife]

Long story short, we had a hellacious thunderstorm w/lightening here two nights ago.. Texas Hill Country

chickens got out.. one had gash over back thatI treated with hydrogen peroxide, dried her off, and others, back in coop by 11:30 p.m. they were out in pouring rain and I mean pouring torrential for about two hours or so..

today gash crusted over nicely.. but she is having breathing problems.. foamy exudate at beak and deep slow breathing..

I've heard of chickens drowning in rain from great grandmother.. breath sounds are clear except for slight rattle, very slight..

what to do..

she is dying I think.. will not take water, except in teaspoon doses..

Stands in nest box.. lies down mostly in box..

 

[Fishwife]

Well, granny was wrong.. Chickens apparently cannot drown in rain..

So, I have a chicken that just sounds like she got water in her lungs and she is apparently just resting up after the pool party.

Outstanding.

 

[Fishwife]

To anyone who believes it is impossible for a chicken to drown in a rainstorm, I'm here to say they are incorrect.

I said, forget this, I can hear liquid in her, turned her upside down and water, mixed with a thin mucous, flowed out. Clear water. Flowed out in a nice thin stream.

She gasped and jerked back, and I set her back down to rest. I doubt she will make it through the night, but my gun is having a laser fitted to it, and my only recourse is to put her down by hand.

She is now in the coop, still struggling to breathe, with clear foamy exudate appearing on her beak now and again.

The rain was so fierce last night, that I'm surprised more didn't inhale water.. their nostrils sit atop the beak, and if rain is coming down that hard and for that long, it only makes sense that they are going to inhale it. It was pitch black, thunder and lightning, and the chickens just froze against the fences out in the pastures, and didn't move.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Mskayladog]

I'm so sorry, I will be sure to lock the chickens up if the weather says we are going to have a storm. I wish there was some advice to give you on how to help her but I'm new to chickens and know nothing.

 

[Fishwife]

It's okay.. you are very kind.

At this point all I can do is wait to see if she can pull out of it. Oddly enough, I was thinking.. if this were a person, what would you do if you couldn't do mouth to mouth.. and I turned her upside down.

I was horrified to see the water draining out and kicking myself in the rear end for not listening to my gut.

They are usually locked up tightly, and didn't really get out.. they were out..and the storm hit before we got back home.. Lesson learned..

Check weather, and lock em up if we are to be gone. You never really know..

thanks Mskayla...

I'm new too.. just struggling to learn all I can..

 

[Chic_girl]

I'm sorry you have to deal with this poor chicken! I've never deal with a sick hen-only injured hens, so I'm guessing here.
Could you make her a nice quiet area inside the house or garage, where she can rest? Sometimes people give chicks sugar water, I don't know if you can give it to adult birds.
It sounds to me like pneumonia, like the chicken got wet, or somehow got water in her lungs. Perhaps look it up on the search bar at the top of the page? Just try to help her eat and drink as much as you can. If normal food doesn't tempt her, sometimes others give their birds plain yogurt, or even mashed hard-boiled eggs and scrambled eggs.
She may not last the night, its true, but you have done all that you can and know to do. I'll send you and your hen prayers!

 

[Fishwife]

Thanks for your kind thoughts, Chic.. Hen is still with us, and walking around a little, so we are just hoping she will pull through this.. Another thunderstorm and flashflooding on the horizon, so everyone is locked down tightly..

 

[Chic_girl]

Oh good! I'm so glad she's still okay! You would be suprised at the things chickens can pull out off- I hope your hen is one of them!

 

[Mskayladog]

I'm glad she is doing better. I still have my 7 week old chiks in the house. I put them in the barn and run at 9 in the morning bring them back in the house around 7 pm.

 

[andycowboy]

hey, fishwife...I'm just outside of Wimberley, and I lost 2 chicks - 2 weeks old - to the storm - they were just lying on the floor of the coop, in the straw. A third one was standing still in the bottom of the coop just shivering. I brought her in, and she didn't look so great. I wrapped her in a thin towel, then held her against my chest for a couple of hours for warmth. I put her in a box in the utility room, and she seemed to improve, so I put her back in the coop. Of course, as you know, it came down like all heck had broken loose again the next night - I should have looked. The next morning she was lying in the feed trough, soaked to the gills. Brought her in again, and we babied her with a lot of soft talk and TLC.

I got up about 2:30 this morning, and my wife was holding her. She discovered that one of the chick's wings was crusted with food - makes sense based on where I found her - so she washed her off, wrapped her in a thin towel, and babied her for a couple more hours. As of an hour ago, when I turned off the light in the utility room, she was herself again - running around with the other babies, who I brought in several days ago to keep from losing any more while we wait for this Hill Country cold front to depart.

So the comment that the birds will go through more than we can possibly imagine is true. 4 or 5 days ago, when this started with her, I was pretty sure we were going to lose her - she proved otherwise! Hang in there - apply a lot of TLC, and she might surprise you!

Have a great evening, and God bless!