[/IMG]I recently purchased a home and one of the conditions of the sale was that the previous owner had 2 coops of 4 chickens each that she did not want to relocate. So for the past two and a half months I have been 'learning as I go' how to care best for my new Hens. The front pen was in excellent condition with a beautiful coop, plenty of room to roam and play for my chickens. The back pen not so much... The chickens are utilizing an old plastic play house as a coop with less space to roam. So we just started building our hens a new coop for winter allowing them the extra room with a coop that is off the ground. I generally go out to visit my Hens when I get home from work at 630 am to feed and water, then I visit in the afternoon to bring them a snack and collect eggs and then again before work at night to check on them. This morning I went outside for my normal morning feeding and I found one of my Easter egg Chickens in the back pen stuck by her foot between the boards of the ramp into the coop. She was literally hanging down by her stuck foot! I tried to free her but couldn't hold her and release her foot on my own so I ran back to the house to get my Boyfriend and some tools to free my girl. In a few minuets he was able to pry the boards and release her foot however by that time my hen wasn't putting up a fight at all (Usually my Easter egg Chickens hate to be touched or played with unlike my other Chickens) she allowed us to touch he leg and hold her up to see if she would support any weight she didn't squawk or peck, which is very uncharacteristic. We assumed she was probably exhausted since we had no idea how long she spent hanging there like that. We fixed her a nest in the coop placed some fruit and grain with water near her and hoped she would recover as she rested. We went out to check on her again around lunch time and she was layed out on her side breathing but not doing much else. Again no fight out of her as we touched her and she did appear to have eaten anything. We have no clue how best to help her and make her comfortable, I am looking for any help or suggestions to get my girl back on track and help her heal. We were considering putting her in a box with some cedar shavings in the house, but that is really all we have come up with. We cannot afford a large vet bill, and since we live in such a residential area Vets may not have the experience with chickens needed. We appreciate any and all suggestions! Thank You Ive posted pictures of my hens swollen foot as well
I think she's in shocked and extremely stressed. I feel you need to let her be in the coop but not allow the other chickens to pick on her. A cage would be ideal. I think the foot is fine but she's just extremely flustered.
It's hard to say if she struggled to a point of injuring herself, breaking her foot, or perhaps had some nerve damage. I would reassess her leg tomorrow, and look for swelling or bruising and signs of a break. You can rest her in a small area, if she is alert, try her in a chicken sling that will sit her upright while resting the legs. Some examples of slings are below:
Thank you so much for your advice and input! We have moved her into the cardboard box in my bathroom with some cedar shavings and hay. I was able to crush up an ibuprofen into some applesauce and she ate some of that and I used a spray bottle to give her some water. She seems a lot more comfortable in the house than the coop and he are making sure to adjust her so she does not sit in one place too long. She is still not fighting us like she usually would so I know she is uncomfortable. we just hope in a few days she will be up and about again! We will try putting her into the sling tomorrow.
Stick with plain baby aspirin. That usually applies to most animals, since their liver and kidneys don't process things the same as ours. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/669527/chicken-with-leg-problem-is-in-pain-ibuprofen I wonder if she may have just hung upside down too long and it caused brain damage.
