Found Missing Chicken After Two Weeks Wedged Behind Hay Bales

[ChicksnPacas]

She is very weak and feels like she hardly weighs anything. She could not have had any food and water where we found her. I am trying to give her some scrambled egg bits and then syringing some water with electrolytes in the side of her beak. She isn't swallowing unless I syringe the water in.
Anything else I can try when she is so weak?

 

[Stiggy]

she would have died from dehydration if there was no water/ moisture. if she canot eat by herself and weighs nothing she maybe to far gone. as without adequate water and food their internal organs shut down and are to far damaged usually to start up again. try some cat biskits, you will need to put some boiling water on them and watch them swell till they are mush, then feed to the hen. it maybe hopeless but all one can do is try. the cat biskits are high in protein/ carbs , and its what we give to baby birds when they are sick ( im talking sparrows blackbirds etc) but it should also work for chickens. she will need a lot of hydration also

 

[ChicksnPacas]

Thanks for your thoughts. I want to at least try to help her. She seems like she has some fight left in her. I also gave her a little bit of yogurt too.

 

[Michael Apple]

Syringe feed small amounts of water with vitamin-electrolyte powder mixed in it. Offer bread soaked in buttermilk, scrambled egg, moistened pellets/crumbles, oats. Poultry Nutri-Drench is also a fast way to get nutrient absorption for it..

 

[Eggcessive]

We're all pulling for your chicken to get back to health. Good info so far.

 

[ChicksnPacas]

You are all great, and I am trying all the ideas. She may be too far gone to save, but if she has even a little will to survive, I'm determined to try.

 

[joannefiddler]

Sure hope she makes it. Keep us posted. You are doing all the right things for her. Poor dear.

 

[Sarevan]

The poor hen! It sounds like her body was taking nourishment from her own body.

I would try to tube feed her small amounts of Kaytee bird food that they give baby birds so she is getting nourishment that way and fluids. Electrolytes, poultry nutri drench so it helps absorp what food she is taking in.

No injuries or anything from being pinned by the bales? If she is weak maybe rig up a hen sling so she can stretch out her legs without having weight on her legs.

Hope she recovers, sounds like she is a real fighter!!

 

[ChicksnPacas]

She doesn't seem to have any injuries. She can stand, but too weak to want to walk. My hubby found her when moving some of last year's hay bales out of the barn. It seems she fell straight down between a gap in the bales. She was basically in a hole. We count our chickens every night before closing the coop, so we know she was missing for over two weeks. First time in all the years we've had chickens that we couldn't find one. I feel awful knowing I walked through that barn each day when she was trapped. She seems a little better tonight. I hope she makes it through the night.

 

[joannefiddler]

How is your little gal doing?