frozen chicken

[klf73]

I had a chicken that disappeared on 1/24. I went to lock up the coop and she was no where to be found. I looked for tracks in the snow and nothing. Today I was outside talking to my son and out of the corner of my eye I saw something. It was HER! She trapped herself in an old broken run. We didn't see her because there was sooo much snow and she didn't make a sound. We searched for hours the first 3 days then gave up thinking an eagle got her. She is now in my bathroom in some shavings. I gave her some food and water, then took them away so she didn't eat/drink too much. My biggest concern is her legs. They are frozen. Other than being skinny (and frozen legs) she looks real good. I am sure she has been eating snow and that is the only reason she is still alive. It did get below zero some nights and now I feel horrible that my poor girl was 20 ft from the door to my house the whole time. Does anyone know how long it will take to know if she will be ok? She is very bright eyed and alert if that helps. thanks!

 

[ghulst]

Hope for the best. You are doing the right thing.

 

[tackyrama]

Are you sure they are frozen? If they really are then it will only be a matter of time before they get infected and gangrened. If you are sure about that then do the right thing and put her out of her misery.

 

[klf73]

well, 20 minutes later her feet are still cold but she can move them. They have softened up. So I will give her some time. She was in a spot that had grass and snow. The grass was frozen but I am sure she was able to get some to eat and she probably ate snow. That is the only way I can think she made it a week.......
How will I know if her legs are damaged? I thought it was a good sign that she can move them in such a short time?

 

[LuckysMom]

How is your hen? Maybe she will be okay since chickens sit on their feet at night and their bodies keep their feet warm.

 

[scrapmom5]

Oh dear...please keep us posted on her legs. How sad.

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

Yeah keep us informed. I hope she will be ok.

 

[sammi]

poor little girl...

give her some have poultry vitamins if you have them..
if not..
try and get some Poly-vi-sol liquid baby vitamins, Enfamil brand if possible, no iron....give 2 drops on beak once a day for a week, then 1 drop a day for a week.
in the meantime, get some poultry vitamins.
also give her some electrolytes..if you don't have commercial mix..a little diluted Pedialyte will do. unflavored if possible, or the red.

make up this booster mixture:

Feed the bird three times a day this mixture ..
the amounts are for the 3 feeds for the day..
give for 3-5 days or more.

1 cooked egg yolk
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons plain yogurt….
3 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats…. To give substance to the feed, or use chicken crumbles or layer pellets but soften them with some boiling water first
2 to 4 table spoons of unsweetened or baby apple sauce

Mix to make a crumble mixture not runny
if she won't eat, roll the mixture into pellets, place in mouth..make sure the neck is straight..and stroke the neck downwards to encourage swallowing.
hopefully, feeding her this way will prompt her to eat on her own.

also have regular feed available as usual.
a teaspoon of canned beef cat food will give extra protein...either by itself, or mixed in feed.

fingers crossed for the hen,, especially her legs and feet.
keep an eye out for any symptoms of respiratory illness..
hopefully, if she eats, she'll be ok..

 

[Chipper]

Good luck with your hen.I hope she's ok.

 

[chickengirl8]

Yeah. Really keep an eye on her legs. I had a gorgeous Polish rooster (my pic) that was my absolute baby. He wasn't the most clever and with his feather head ran into things. Well, he got his foot tangled on a rope over night. When I went out in the morning he was stuck and standing. I untangled him to find he couldn't move his legs. I brought him inside.

First he wasn't able to move his legs and they were swollen some. He really couldn't walk. After about a week his legs were less swollen but got to a point of having no muscle. Since unable to bend his legs we had to put him out of his misery. It was the saddest thing.

I hope your hen makes it! Good luck!