Dying Chicken

[wyoDreamer]

So sorry that you have to deal with this. But such is the duty of a chicken owner.

When I had a chicken that was ill and dying, I used the broomstick method to dispatch her. Simple, quick and no blood involved. Cutting the jugular has been iffy for me - I am good 9 out of 10 times, but unless I am planning on eating the meat and want it to bleed out, I prefer to broomstick them.

 

[chickens really]

4 rhode islands (one that is passing is one)
1 speckled sussex
1 easter egger
1 jersey giant
1 leghorn
1 we inhereted and I'm not sure her breed...

Confinement with the RIR..They are aggressive and can be cannibals..Higher protein needed..18 to 20% protein..

 

[casportpony]

@Redschickens , do you want to try to save her? If so, bring her inside and let her warm up, then do a thorough exam. Almost all sick chickens will be hypothermic (too cold) and dehydrated. Hypothermia must be addressed first, and to do this she needs to be in a cage or room that as close to 80-85 degrees and you can get it.

Once warm you can check her for wounds, bugs, overall body condition, etc. Set aside any poops and take pictures. Many times you can tell just by looking at their poop what is ailing them.

Not all can be saved, but if you want to try I am willing to help.

Euthanasia is also an option. The method I prefer is cervical dislocation.

 

[chickens really]

@Wyorp Rock
Your thoughts...

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Confinement in this instance also doesn't seem to be the issue.

ALL flocks... will take advantage of a failing bird to increase their standing in the pecking order.

I feed 20% protein NOT diminished by treats, have hundreds of square feet in coop space, 60+ feet of roost space, an acre of forage space and 21 birds. More and less at different times.

Though I agree that VERY OFTEN, space and nutrition are suspect... and breed dynamics have some impact (and yes reds will benefit form a little more protein). THIS appears to be the case of a bird failing and facing the harsh cruel reality... nature is brutal.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@Redschickens , do you want to try to save her? If so, bring her inside and let her warm up, then do a thorough exam. Almost all sick chickens will be hypothermic (too cold) and dehydrated. Hypothermia must be addressed first, and to do this she needs to be in a cage or room that as close to 80-85 degrees and you can get it.

Once warm you can check her for wounds, bugs, overall body condition, etc. Set aside any poops and take pictures. Many times you can tell just by looking at their poop what is ailing them.

 

[rebrascora]

You may find that just removing her from the flock to a warm place and making her feel safe is sufficient to revive her with a bit of food water and time. Sometimes a warm Epsom Salts bath will help revive and relax them. It makes it easier to do an internal exam if they have had a nice soak and are clean. Learning how to care for or dispatch sick chickens is an important part of poultry management as unfortunately there are a myriad of diseases and ailments that chickens can suffer from. It is one of the things that brings many of us together here on BYC, learning to diagnose and treat our feathered friends or help them to depart this world if we can't fix them. I have used long handled loppers or pipe cutters to euthanize sick birds or cervical dislocation (broomstick method). Do be aware that they will usually flap a lot afterwards, so be prepared for that. It will usually last a minute.... which seems like a lifetime. If they are very sick and weak, it is less bad. Be assured that it is just after death nerve impulses and common in many animals but particularly long and distressing in chickens..... the phrase "running around like a headless chicken" was not coined for nothing and really can happen albeit uncommon, if they are not restrained.
If you decide to try to treat her, we are here to help you but we will need more information..... age, was she actively laying recently, how is her body condition.... feel her breast.... is the central bone sharp under the skin or reasonably covered. How does her crop feel?.... that's the pouch on the front right of their chest where they store food. How does her abdomen feel... particularly between her legs and around her vent. Any abnormal swelling in these areas? Compare to other chickens by feel as feathers can hide a multitude of problems. How does her vent look like? Are her feathers soiled with poop? The bloody comb will be due to pecking but she has most likely been victimised because she was already sick. Usually they look far worse than they at first appear. Once you get her cleaned up, you will have a better idea. Even chickens that have lost an eye can recover with a bit of TLC.

Good luck. Whatever you decide will be the right course of action and we are here to support you in any way we can.

 

[casportpony]

If you decide to euthanize here are a couple of articles and a links:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/euthanasia-information.1195265/#post-18908998
https://mikethechickenvet.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/euthanasia-for-backyard-birds/
http://www.poultryindustrycouncil.c...delines-for-On-Farm-Euthanasia-of-Poultry.pdf

 

[Redschickens]

You may find that just removing her from the flock to a warm place and making her feel safe is sufficient to revive her with a bit of food water and time. Sometimes a warm Epsom Salts bath will help revive and relax them. It makes it easier to do an internal exam if they have had a nice soak and are clean. Learning how to care for or dispatch sick chickens is an important part of poultry management as unfortunately there are a myriad of diseases and ailments that chickens can suffer from. It is one of the things that brings many of us together here on BYC, learning to diagnose and treat our feathered friends or help them to depart this world if we can't fix them. I have used long handled loppers or pipe cutters to euthanize sick birds or cervical dislocation (broomstick method). Do be aware that they will usually flap a lot afterwards, so be prepared for that. It will usually last a minute.... which seems like a lifetime. If they are very sick and weak, it is less bad. Be assured that it is just after death nerve impulses and common in many animals but particularly long and distressing in chickens..... the phrase "running around like a headless chicken" was not coined for nothing and really can happen albeit uncommon, if they are not restrained.
If you decide to try to treat her, we are here to help you but we will need more information..... age, was she actively laying recently, how is her body condition.... feel her breast.... is the central bone sharp under the skin or reasonably covered. How does her crop feel?.... that's the pouch on the front right of their chest where they store food. How does her abdomen feel... particularly between her legs and around her vent. Any abnormal swelling in these areas? Compare to other chickens by feel as feathers can hide a multitude of problems. How does her vent look like? Are her feathers soiled with poop? The bloody comb will be due to pecking but she has most likely been victimised because she was already sick. Usually they look far worse than they at first appear. Once you get her cleaned up, you will have a better idea. Even chickens that have lost an eye can recover with a bit of TLC.

Good luck. Whatever you decide will be the right course of action and we are here to support you in any way we can.

This made me cry. Thank you for the beautiful, thoughtful response. My husband just help expire her. He said that she appeared to be egg bound. This is our frist go around so now we will know things to look for in the future. I am so incredibly sad and know I have some reading to do for the future. Thank you for being so supportive, I knew I would find help on BYC. <3

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Well there's nothing routine or balanced about accidents or illness.

And despite ALL the BALANCE I do have... let someone pop up limping and see how fast they become a target for someone lower than them taking advantage. Yep I saw Marek's and make NO mistake other birds saw it and started that bird on it's way to a quick death. I intervened and saved that bird for 3 weeks... then had to implement it's death myself or face raising a handicapped bird forever which wasn't fair to me or the bird.

I'm not in disagreement that BALANCE is KEY to all things animal husbandry. But it ISN'T the ONLY key. There are many factors at play... and yes, if not understood can be very disheartening.