Hen trapped under a feed tub

[OldChurchEggery1]

This morning I went out to do the normal chores and when I flipped over a rubber feed tub in the run, there was a hen underneath! I use long, narrow box-type feeders for dry feed like pellets and use the black rubber tub-style feeders for wet things like left over breakfast cereal, veggies gone a bit too far in the fridge and so on. I did lock-up last night after dark so I didn't see that the tub was overturned in the run.

The hen was definitely in rough shape and I'm not sure at what point yesterday she got stuck under there. Or how! I imagine she must have perched on one side and it flipped overtop of her? Anyway, she was cold, dirty, and wet from the condensation. I'm surprised she didn't suffocate because the rim of the tub had dirt piled up on it where other chickens must have scratched around a bit before going into the coop. I put her in isolation with water and feed at the ready and if she's still alive when I get home today I'll try giving her a bath because she was totally filthy, probably from scratching around and then the dirt turning to mud as condensation built up.

Any advice on how else to treat her if she's still amongst the living? I've never heard of such a strange thing happening so I don't know that a warning's in order about rubber tubs but, man, was I surprised when there was something under the tub!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Sorry about your hen. If you can, with chilled birds, I towel dry and put in a warm place with a heat lamp if possible, basically a brooder type set up works well ... and try to get some liquids into them once they are warmed up. That flipping over feed tubs, buckets or pans is pretty common, there are quite a few stories on BYC of chickens managing to get trapped under something.