Hen hit by car!

[jhmoore]

I have 8 hens- 6 standards and 2 polish. My two polish are in a separate coop from my standards, and pretty much have the run of my 5 acre farm. However, they never go beyond about 100 yards from their coop. And, for the most part, they head back to roost at night (once I found my silver laced perched on the horse fence instead of in the coop).

Tonight, I got home from work, and all the hens were happily scratching in the yard, including both polish who ran up to greet me. I went inside and made dinner, came back outside to put all the critters to bed, and my silver laced polish wasn't in the coop. I thought she may have gotten lost and decided to roost somewhere else, so hubby and I started to look around the yard. After about a half hour, we found her on the curb in front of our house, across the street!

She has a large bald spot on the top of her left wing, as well as on the left side of her neck and her left rear. There is no open or torn skin, just feathers missing. The left side of her neck appears very swollen, but she can move her head, so I don't think her neck is broken. She is keeping her left eye closed tightly, and has blood coming from her beak. I cannot tell how hurt she is. I set her in the basement in a quiet rubbermaid tote with access to water and straw for bedding. I'm thinking that if she's going to pass away, it would be tonight, right?

What else can I do? Has anyone ever heard of a chicken being hit by a car, or more so, surviving it? I feel just sick about this...my 2 polish girls are so friendly and sweet. Am I stupid to think she may pull through? I did call my vet, but he said chickens cannot be euthanized, because their veins are so little it would be impossible to inject them.

 

[Chicken Woman]

I wouldn't let her suffer. I would cull.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Sorry to hear about your hen. I know how you feel. I have had a couple of hens who got loose and were hit by a car. Unfortunately, they didn't make it. That type of accident is major. I hope she survives but from past experiences, my hens did not survive. And I have always wondered, who could run over a chicken that way. I guess the driver didn't see her. Sorry again. Please keep us posted.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Sorry to hear about your hen. I know how you feel. I have had a couple of hens who got loose and were hit by a car. Unfortunately, they didn't make it. That type of accident is major. I hope she survives but from past experiences, my hens did not survive. And I have always wondered, who could run over a chicken that way. I guess the driver didn't see her. Sorry again. Please keep us posted.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I know if it were my chicken, I'd wait and see. Just keep her warm and comfortable. The worst part of it is the shock. Check her in the morning. Hopefully she is still alive and you'll be able to get a better idea what happend to her.
Good luck

 

[CarlaRiggs]

Bleeding from the mouth can indicate internal injuries.
Keeping her warm and quiet is the best suggestion, and about all that you can do. You may want to offer her water, just in case.

Could she have been attacked by an animal, though there's no rips in the skin? And if she was hit by a car, I'm sure the person didn't see her. At dusk it's hard to see, especially a small hen.

I'm sorry this has happened.

Carla

 

[MoodyChicken]

Aw, I'm so sorry. The blood from the beak is not a good sign though. She'll pass pretty soon I think. You could give her some hypericum to keep her calm and help with the pain in her final moments. But, there's always the chance she'll make it. If she survives the night, she likely doesn't have any severe injuries and could possibly survive with some intense TLC.

Your vet is wrong, I take birds to the vet's all the time to be euthanized. It just takes longer because they don't give the shot in the vein, they give it in the skin so the body has to slowly absorb it. But I have met some vets that actually can find a vein in a bantam chicken's thigh. So it's very much so possible.

 

[jhmoore]

Thank you everyone for the replies!

To my amazement, Panni (my little hen) was still alive this morning! And, so was chirping at me too. It appears that she somehow escaped major injuries. Outside of the feather loss in spots, she looks "normal". She can walk around, and move her wings normally. She does appear a bit dehydrated and lethargic. I had water available all night to her, but I don't think she touched it. This morning, all the swelling was down, and her left eye open again. I kept her quiet all day in the basement, with food and water available.

Just this afternoon, once I got home from work, I scrambled up an egg for her, which she tried to devour. There was no blood on her beak this morning or afternoon, but as soon as she tried to peck at the egg, her beak appeared to bleed again. It looks like it is cracked about 1/8 inch from the tip. Would this cause bleeding? What is the best way to treat a broken beak?

I picked up some yogurt and baby food, thinking it might be easier to eat more liquidy food. I really think as long as her beak can heal, she'll make it.

Any advice on fixing a cracked beak?

And, the vet i called is my equine vet, so not a chicken expert, which he admits. I just trust him a lot, and didn't know who else to call at that time of night. But, thanks for the facts.

 

[Chicken Woman]

You may need to use some dog toenail clippers and clip her beak. You can get some stiptic powder at most pet stores to stop the bleeding after you clip. It helps coagulate the blood and stops it.

Glad to here she is better. You might want o put some electrolytes and vitamins in her water.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Miracle chicken! that's really great! She's got a dang strong will to survive. As far as the cracked beak, there's nothing you can really do for it other than wait for it to grow out. I wouldn't trim it, just in case it cracks more. One of my birds broke the top of his beak off and it exposed the soft tissue. It took a long time to heal, but he was good after a while. I'd put her on an antibiotic to prevent infection.