Emergency! Need advice quickly

[Hasgrits68]

Hi Hasgrits68, if you think she has broken ribs, hold her carefully and feel for any crepitus (grating of bones) but be extremely careful as this will hurt her.  You will tell if she is uncomfortable.  If this is the case, and no vet will look at her, then I am afraid that you might have to think about culling her, to put her out of her misery.  Also, if she isn't drinking by herself and only taking liquid via dropper, then she has probable neck trauma.  Also, does she have any black areas on the comb, eyelids, ears or around the beak?  To me, what you are describing is more likely to be neck trauma which is affecting the esophagus.  Give it time and hopefully she will come good. On another note, you say that your coop is open on two sides, could a snake get in which could have caused panic and she fell the heaviest or bitten.  Like I said, these are just theories which are based on being an ex Ambo.

Thank you Snow! I hate seeing her in pain but I don't want to prematurely cull. It's so hard to make these tough end life choices. But it's all part of responsible livestock ownership. Thanks again

 

[Snow bunny]

Dear Hasgrits68, I know how tough it is when our chooks are not well or injured. You are doing all you can and doing it well by the sounds of it. If you are prepared to keep on with the dropper, then do so, you are doing nothing wrong. Culling is not my favourite thing, but I had to do all my girls recently through the M virus. IF your hen has neck trauma, then it will take time to go one way or the other. As long as you are getting something into her it will help with her healing and to go in the right direction. Chooks are pretty hardy things. But if she suffers too much you must do the right thing for her sake. Have you got your girl out of the coop and into a cage of her own? or is she still in the coop? One thing, if she decides to die, there is nothing you or I can do to stop it. You know when it is going to happen as they go into depression and look so sad, they take themselves off to be alone and then it is the end. So you may not have to make the decision, she will do it for you. As I said, it is tough when you have any animal, we all do everything we can to make them better, but unless they can tell you what is wrong, it is all pure guess work. But just keep doing what you are doing, don't force anything down her throat though just in case there are problems there. Were you say that she cannot drink by herself, can she not bend her neck back to take the water down, or can she not bend her neck forward to get the water? Here's a thought, you said that her breathing was laboured again, chooks sleep with their heads on their chests, which is forwards. If she is labouring, she must almost be cutting off her air supply and this is what is causing the symptom. Listen, let me know the answers to these questions and I might have another suggestion. It might sound a bit strange when I tell you (depending on the answers of course), but it could work. Good Luck.

 

[casportpony]

I guess I should have explained myself. I believe the one that is wheezing is doing so from an injury from either falling off of the roost or flying off in the dark and hitting the wall or the nesting boxes. Her breathing was better yesterday. But this morning she seems labored again. I am giving her water with enzymes in it by droppers. She takes it pretty good but is not drinking on her own or eating. Our coop is basically open on two sides because it is attached to our barn so it's not too weather tight. We use deep litter method and combo straw and pine shavings as a drying agent and I turn it once a week. I really feel like this is injury related. Is it possible for her to have busted ribs? How would I know?

Check every square inch for bruising and swelling, especially the areas around the neck and the air sacs. Then try to pinpoint the location that the wheezing is coming from. If she has busted ribs I suspect that you would see some bruising, maybe not.

Is she still not drinking/eating?

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Chicken respiratory system:

 

[Hasgrits68]

Check every square inch for bruising and swelling, especially the areas around the neck and the air sacs. Then try to pinpoint the location that the wheezing is coming from. If she has busted ribs I suspect that you would see some bruising, maybe not.

Is she still not drinking/eating?

-Kathy

Kathy, I don't see any visible bruises. She ate today out of my hand after I wet the pellets and is still taking water regularly out of the dropper. She is very fiesty, she lets me know when she is done being handled. I take that as a good sign. I decided to go get some tylan and start injections in case she is fighting some sort of respiratory infection from the injury. Thankfully we have a small coop and run set up in our barn for sick or injured chickens. It is making caring for her so much easier.

 

[Hasgrits68]

Good morning, thanks for all the replies. I have some good news update on my injured hen. She has had two injections of tylan as of yesterday, this morning she was drinking on her own and I made her a few scrambled eggs which she gobbled up. She was vocalizing for the first time since her injury although she sounded like she had a sore throat, and late yesterday afternoon she laid an egg( of course I disposed of it). She gets her last injection today and I pray that this will be what she needs to continue to heal. Oh and her tail feathers were perked up this morning! I'm very cautious to be overly excited about her being out of the woods. But things are so much better!

 

[Eggcessive]

Very good news to hear. Thank you for the update on her.

 

[casportpony]

That's great news, thanks for the update!

-Kathy

 

[umarson]

Great! what a tragic experience.

 

[mg15]

Good morning, thanks for all the replies. I have some good news update on my injured hen. She has had two injections of tylan as of yesterday, this morning she was drinking on her own and I made her a few scrambled eggs which she gobbled up. She was vocalizing for the first time since her injury although she sounded like she had a sore throat, and late yesterday afternoon she laid an egg( of course I disposed of it). She gets her last injection today and I pray that this will be what she needs to continue to heal. Oh and her tail feathers were perked up this morning! I'm very cautious to be overly excited about her being out of the woods. But things are so much better!

Hi, can I ask?
Why did the Tylan work. ?
And seems it saved her life.
Thanks.
mg