Hen Almost Dead -- Froze SAD UPDATE!!

[honeydoll]

I tried given her some sugar water, she has her beak clamped so tightly she won't hardly let me open it. I did get her to take a very small amount. I hope it's enough to perk her up and get her drinking some more.

 

[daze333]

Hi,
Sorry to jump in mid-thread but I noticed the note about her contracting her vent. This does sound like an egg problem. I had a hen that got a prolapsed vent (some of the inner vent tube comes outside the body) and she did that contracting thing. Does her vent look normal? Does some of it stick out?

Good job taking such good care of her!

 

[abqferreira]

I got home this afternoon and found one of my chickens dead. I assume it froze last night when it was 12-15 degrees out and I didn't turn on a heat lamp for it. After reading this thread, I suddenly am thinking of what they told me in nursing school, "They're not dead til they're warm and dead..." meaning that if you have someone with hypothermia, they will frequently respond when you warm them. Is there a chance that chicken is still alive? It looked pretty dead to me, I mean, I shoveled it into a plastic bag and it didn't show any sign of life. I put it in the garage for the night and was going to take it to a coworker tomorrow who would turn it into stew.

How would I know for sure? I'd prefer to leave it frozen, you know?

 

[honeydoll]

Maybe you could've brought her back if you started right away, probably toomuch time has lapsed now, but I am no expert on this. My poor girl stood up a few minutes ago, but seems so weak. Time will tell I guess.

 

[ScotianChick]

Quote:
Are you sure she froze? My guys don't have a heat lamp... they just have a very closed coop which we've banked with straw and it got to -13F (-25C)outside not in the coop without any casualities or problems...

Original Poster, I hope your girl is okay! It's really great that you're taking such good care of her!

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
12-15F above 0 shouldn't cause a healthy bird to freeze to death. Very well possible something else happened and you found the frozen body. My middle aged 1-4 year old chickens have slept outside in those temps without a single case of frost bite. Only the youngeset and very oldest go in to sleep when it is below freezing.

 

[KSTRNKA]

I have had chickens freeze and I think it just depends on the degree of damage. Damage can occur any time the temperature is below freezing and also depending on where the chicken is roosting and its health. Many of mine have thawed out (one even with her mouth frozen open) and been fine. Others have thawed out but had problems walking and such for a couple weeks. Then there are others that seemed to be ok and ended up dying anyway. I think if they have frostbite pretty severely it compromises their immune system and they are likely to succumb to something else such as respiratory problems. However my opinion is to give it a shot! Warm her up and give her plenty of fluids and good things to eat and put antibiotic ointment on the frostbitten parts and hope for the best! Good Luck to you!

 

[honeydoll]

Thanks so much eveyrone for your help. This morning when I woke up my hen had died. Ironically her name was Lucky, but her luck ran out this time.

As I took care of her and thought it thru, this is what I think has happened. She was the roos favorite, so her back feathers were gone; so she couldn't keep as warm as the others. She had an egg break in her, I am fairly certain, poor girl. When I found her I couldn't get her to drink but tiny amounts, so I believe she was too far gone, even though she did perk up after warming her. She just wouldn't drink, when she did it seemed like it almost was painful to her, she'd moan. So dehydration was probably the last problem her body could handle. Thanks again, I am really disappointed. She was our littlest hen, but layed the biggest eggs (triple yokers), was the ornriest, and wouldn't stay out of the neighbor's yard. She was determined to give me grief from the getgo. This is our first real loss (lost a chick last summer, but it was young) so I am trying to learn something from it. But it really stinks to lose one. It is windy and -2F here this morning, I am going to check my other chickens now, hope all is well with them I worried all night. Thanks again for the help.


Carolyn

 

[LeezyBeezy]

 

[honeydoll]

All other chickens seem fine. Very cold, had to get refill frozen waterers. But they are moving kind of slow, and huddling together, due to cold, I'm sure. But I cannot help but worry, I have the nagging, what if it was some indection or virus.....? I am getting eggs today ans some more hens are in the box getting ready to lay, so I am sure it's just the cold. Thanks. But I think I will give it two weeks before I add any more chickens to my flock, which I was planning just in case there is more to this. I am too much of a worrier at times, but I will play it safe in this area.

thanks again all

Carolyn