Found injured hen in yard need advice

[mumzee1432]

We discovered one of our neighbor's free-range chickens had been hit by a car. She was lying on her back, kicking her legs desperately, trying to get onto her feet. By the time we discovered her, she was absolutely exhausted. I eased her onto a towel, and we carried her to the owner's house. No one was home, so we took her home and made sure her bleeding was stopped, applied some Neosporin to abrasions, and held her while she slept. We eventually moved her to a dog kennel and helped her get comfortable. I was able to get her to drink a little electrolytes/water on her own, then by syringe. She is content and sleeping.

During the transition from being held in the towel to the kennel, she tried to stand up and fell over (wobbly). At one point, she stretched out both wings, so her wings were ok. I'm concerned she might have a hip or pelvis injury, but I'm not sure. She just looked off on the side where she was hit.

Meanwhile, my husband drove to the owner's house and told them about the hen and offered to let the hen stay in our kennel if they preferred (since we have her comfortable). The wife said her husband would come pick up the hen later. So far, they haven't come. (It's been 5 hours.) Having seen the coop conditions, this hen has a better recovery space in the kennel inside our house. She definitely would not survive on her on in her current condition. Their coop is not covered -- and is very small for 9 chickens (about 10 ft x 10 ft max).

We regularly feed, play with, and talk to these chickens. I do think she realizes she's being taken care of. She has been content letting us help her get comfortable and seems to be resting well. She's sleeping a lot now that we have her in kennel and nestled into a soft towel. Aside from keeping her safe, warm, and dry & comfortable -- and trying to get her to drink and then maybe eat tomorrow, is there anything else we can do? She's not our chicken but it feels wrong not to try to help her. It's very cold and windy here tonight and there's a coyote that attacked another chicken a couple of days ago in the area. Not sure how we have gotten so attached to these free-range chickens, but our whole neighborhood loves these sweet birds.

 

[mumzee1432]

Evening update. The afternoon did not go well, and Dumplin passed away peacefully. My husband buried her under the trees in our backyard where she liked to play and look for snacks. We feel good knowing she was cared for and is peacefully at rest. I'm glad the neighbors didn't come for her last night. She was well cared for and loved until the very end. Several of the flock came around for a last round of snacks after she was buried. I am grateful to have found this board. You helped us through a tough 24 hours.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We discovered one of our neighbor's free-range chickens had been hit by a car. She was lying on her back, kicking her legs desperately, trying to get onto her feet. By the time we discovered her, she was absolutely exhausted. I eased her onto a towel, and we carried her to the owner's house. No one was home, so we took her home and made sure her bleeding was stopped, applied some Neosporin to abrasions, and held her while she slept. We eventually moved her to a dog kennel and helped her get comfortable. I was able to get her to drink a little electrolytes/water on her own, then by syringe. She is content and sleeping.

During the transition from being held in the towel to the kennel, she tried to stand up and fell over (wobbly). At one point, she stretched out both wings, so her wings were ok. I'm concerned she might have a hip or pelvis injury, but I'm not sure. She just looked off on the side where she was hit.

Meanwhile, my husband drove to the owner's house and told them about the hen and offered to let the hen stay in our kennel if they preferred (since we have her comfortable). The wife said her husband would come pick up the hen later. So far, they haven't come. (It's been 5 hours.) Having seen the coop conditions, this hen has a better recovery space in the kennel inside our house. She definitely would not survive on her on in her current condition. Their coop is not covered -- and is very small for 9 chickens (about 10 ft x 10 ft max).

We regularly feed, play with, and talk to these chickens. I do think she realizes she's being taken care of. She has been content letting us help her get comfortable and seems to be resting well. She's sleeping a lot now that we have her in kennel and nestled into a soft towel. Aside from keeping her safe, warm, and dry & comfortable -- and trying to get her to drink and then maybe eat tomorrow, is there anything else we can do? She's not our chicken but it feels wrong not to try to help her. It's very cold and windy here tonight and there's a coyote that attacked another chicken a couple of days ago in the area. Not sure how we have gotten so attached to these free-range chickens, but our whole neighborhood loves these sweet birds.

No, we don't have an avian vet close by but I may try to call on my own vet (we have a Persian cat). The irony is --- both the hen and our cat are sound asleep on their side in nearly the same position. I have never seen a chicken so relaxed. The hen re-situates slightly and occasionally stretches her feet and looks up at me then goes right back to sleep. Is it normal for an injured hen to sleep so much?

It's hard to understand people having animals but not staying on top of their care. My feelings are mixed -- I feel like the owners should step up but it's likely for the best that they didn't come to get her like they said. My teen daughter is crushed. This hen had just been on our porch eating oatmeal from her hand and playing. As much as anything, I appreciate having a place to vent safely while we hope for the best. So, thank you all for listening and giving any advice you have to offer.

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry to hear about the hen. Being hit by a car, she may have suffered internal injuries but it's hard to know.

Vet care is best, but often it's cost prohibitive and/or you may not have access to a vet that is familiar with poultry.

Being able to move and stretch her wings on her own is positive.
Falling over while standing could be of course serious injury, but can be shock as well.

Clean wounds with saline, Povidone Iodine, Chlorhexine, etc. and apply triple antibiotic to wounds to keep them moist.
When you have time, photos the wounds may be helpful if they are extensive.

Giving her electrolytes like you are doing is very good, work on getting her to take sips on her own if possible, by holding a cup to her beak, but if she's weak, then giving drops by syringe is good too.

When you are ready to feed her, scrambled or soft boiled egg would be good. You mention a Kitty, so she can have a small amount of canned cat food. Oatmeal will be o.k. for a short period of time, it's not a nutritionally dense of poultry feed - but the main objective is to supply her with food that you may have readily available. Other things that can be given is a small amount of canned fish like tuna, mackerel or sardines, soaked torn bread, a Tablespoon of plain yogurt mixed with other foods, etc.
When injured, sometimes they go off feed, so if she's willing to eat, let her, just not a whole chocolate cake or something like that

Chickens can heal from severe wounds and injuries, they are quite resilient, time is going to tell how this turns out.
I do hope she's able to recover, but prepare for the worst too.

Know this though - she's warm, she's being loved, she's going to have care from you and your family, it sounds like for now she is quite content and relaxing with the Kitty - so if her time does come, she's surrounded by Family.

 

[Brooks_]

I am definitely not the person to do the hard part myself, but I won't have her suffering. Fortunately, my dad and my husband have been around chickens when they were young. I feel like I can lean on them if needed. It just feels wrong to have to make that kind of decision about someone else's animal.

When they've been notified and don't come....not their chicken anymore

 

[My Three Chicks]

You're so kind hearted . Thank you taking care of her. I'm not an expert and haven't dealt with this type of injury but hopefully others can help. But so far you've been doing the right things. Hope she can stay and continue to recover at your place. So glad you found her.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

She could possibly have internal bleeding due to being hit by a car. You are doing the absolute best for her right now, thank you for being a kindhearted soul and helping her. I’ll try to call over some pros at helping injured poultry. @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[mumzee1432]

I You did everything you could. Commend yourself for that.

We really did. She seemed to recognize us and was at peace the whole time we cared for her. My daughter slept beside her 'hospital' last night. We are comforted knowing she wasn't alone after the accident or cold last night. No word from the neighbors. My husband told me today that the wife's reaction was very telling when he stopped by to tell her yesterday. "Oh yes, I remember meeting your wife and daughter -- they've actually named those chickens." Yep, sure have. They come around "trick-or-treating" 4-6 times a day and respond to their names. They are smart and know exactly what they are allowed to do in our yard. They know where we have water bowls and food dishes for them and know I'll drop ice cubes in if it's hot. I'm a former middle school teacher. Bless those chickens for realizing I have an irresistible need to teach them manners.

 

[mumzee1432]

No, we don't have an avian vet close by but I may try to call on my own vet (we have a Persian cat). The irony is --- both the hen and our cat are sound asleep on their side in nearly the same position. I have never seen a chicken so relaxed. The hen re-situates slightly and occasionally stretches her feet and looks up at me then goes right back to sleep. Is it normal for an injured hen to sleep so much?

It's hard to understand people having animals but not staying on top of their care. My feelings are mixed -- I feel like the owners should step up but it's likely for the best that they didn't come to get her like they said. My teen daughter is crushed. This hen had just been on our porch eating oatmeal from her hand and playing. As much as anything, I appreciate having a place to vent safely while we hope for the best. So, thank you all for listening and giving any advice you have to offer.

 

[mumzee1432]

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry to hear about the hen. Being hit by a car, she may have suffered internal injuries but it's hard to know.

Vet care is best, but often it's cost prohibitive and/or you may not have access to a vet that is familiar with poultry.

Being able to move and stretch her wings on her own is positive.
Falling over while standing could be of course serious injury, but can be shock as well.

Clean wounds with saline, Povidone Iodine, Chlorhexine, etc. and apply triple antibiotic to wounds to keep them moist.
When you have time, photos the wounds may be helpful if they are extensive.

Giving her electrolytes like you are doing is very good, work on getting her to take sips on her own if possible, by holding a cup to her beak, but if she's weak, then giving drops by syringe is good too.

When you are ready to feed her, scrambled or soft boiled egg would be good. You mention a Kitty, so she can have a small amount of canned cat food. Oatmeal will be o.k. for a short period of time, it's not a nutritionally dense of poultry feed - but the main objective is to supply her with food that you may have readily available. Other things that can be given is a small amount of canned fish like tuna, mackerel or sardines, soaked torn bread, a Tablespoon of plain yogurt mixed with other foods, etc.
When injured, sometimes they go off feed, so if she's willing to eat, let her, just not a whole chocolate cake or something like that

Chickens can heal from severe wounds and injuries, they are quite resilient, time is going to tell how this turns out.
I do hope she's able to recover, but prepare for the worst too.

Know this though - she's warm, she's being loved, she's going to have care from you and your family, it sounds like for now she is quite content and relaxing with the Kitty - so if her time does come, she's surrounded by Family.

Thank you so much. All of this information is so helpful. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the detail you've gone into. It will help us a lot going forward.

She's more alert right now. Just looking around, nestled into the towels, and noticing she's not in a place she recognizes. She tried to stand up again and bawk a little (her normal happy bawk even). Looked a bit more stable when she lifted up. That didn't last long but it's definitely better than she's been able to do up until this point. She sitting up staring at me now. The image I can't shake from my mind (when we found her) was seeing her kicking wildly trying to get herself off her back and onto her feet. That must have gone on a while before we got there -- so I think she was absolutely exhausted and in shock. She gave me no grief as I helped her off the ground onto her tummy into the towel -- and hasn't yet. My daughter pointed out how many times this particular chicken has tried to sneak into the house from the porch. On some level, I know she realizes who she's with even if she's never been inside before.

 

[WoDia]

I hope you can keep her too. She’s getting great care from you. I also hope your neighbor will do something to give their flock better protection from the elements. It’s sad to hear.