Yesterday we had horrible rain storms rolling through all day, and I went out to feed a little later than usual hoping the rain would slow down for a little while. Most of my chickens are kept out on pasture in hoop houses and tractors. I have one tractor that has 9 Black Java and 6 Heritage Dels that are all 9 weeks old. My older Del roo likes to hang out with these guys and usually spends the night with them without a problem. When I arrived at the pen I immediately noticed one of the black java pullets was laying on her side with her head back, eyes closed, and sopping wet. I picked her up and took her to the house after feeding everyone else. She has no obvious signs of injury but one of the dels had her tail feathers pecked that night so there was some fighting going on at some point in time. We dried her off and kept her in the house with us for hours. She seemed to improve by holding her head correctly, opening her eyes more and more often, and eating and drinking if we offered it to her. In the evening I placed her in a large tote with shavings, food, and water. I checked on her every hour until we went to bed. She seemed to keep improving, but still could not stand or control her body (she flopped if she tried to move).
This morning she had gone back down hill. She lays with her head back and eyes closed again and she is panting. I am forse feeding her water with light corn syrup. Are there any other suggestions? This is the first injured/sick chicken I have had to nurse.
This morning she had gone back down hill. She lays with her head back and eyes closed again and she is panting. I am forse feeding her water with light corn syrup. Are there any other suggestions? This is the first injured/sick chicken I have had to nurse.
