housing a sick hen

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

i have a sick hen that has prolapsed and egg prob. right now by vets advice she will be having her daytime hours limited to 4-6 hrs aday. right now i have her in my bathroom in a huge plastic storage tub. which works fine(i Guess) but she doesnt get to roost she has to sleep laying down which is making poop stick to her bottom. any thought on what kind of housing might be a little better for her. she will have to be kept this way til the 2nd week of nov.

 

[7L Farm]

Hope your girl will be ok. I lost one do to being egg bound. Never thought I'd miss a chicken but I do. You probably have been doing this already keep her vent clean. Maybe keep her in a dog crate with pine shavings on the bottom.

 

[Darklingstorm]

I keep mine in a large tote on pine shaving and don't have any problems with poopy butt. However if I did, I would get a dog crate, add pine shavings and make a low roost out of wood looking like this [ But I would also make some kind of barrier around the bottom to half way up so that the poop and shavings don't get thrown out onto the floor.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

but how do you do it so they can still walk around some when she is in the tub?

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i have a rabbit hutch and two flight cages i keep in the back of our family room at all times. Sick chickens and ducks go in there to recuperate. Maybe you can find a rabbit hutch on craigslist? That would give her plenty of room to move a bit, and you could even build a low perch on one side.

When i had a hen who prolapsed badly, my vet told me to soak her bottom in warm water every day with sugar in the water. Something about the sugar helps the skin contract and heal. She lived in our house in that hutch for over a month, with it covered most of the time. She recovered and never prolapsed again.

Hope your girl recovers.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

Quote:
what if she doesnt like being in the watre and tries to get out?

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

You want the water to be warm, not hot, and just high enough to cover her bum. When you first put them in, they may do a little struggling. But my experience has been that they really enjoy the warm water. You will need to keep your hands on her, just to make sure she doesn't bolt. Give it about 5 minutes. Then gently dry them off with a hair dryer set on low. Keep your hand between the bird and hairdryer so you ensure she won't get burned. My chickens love this part! Most of them just close their eyes and go to sleep.

i know it sounds daunting at first, but it's really simply. And after a couple of baths i'm sure your chicken will calm down and look forward to them.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

Quote:
what if i still cant get the poop to come off? cause honestly it is stuck to the inside of her vent not the outside.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

the3ofus+oursixchicks :

Quote:
what if i still cant get the poop to come off? cause honestly it is stuck to the inside of her vent not the outside.

sorry i know this shouldnt be on this post. but i was needing ideas for creating something for rosey to stay in while she is under the weather.​

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

If you soak her bottom in warm water, the poo should wash out. If it doesn't after several days of warm baths, take her back to the vet and ask them to clean it out. But i honestly think the warm baths should help.

Was there something else that didn't get answered? Have you come up with a good place for her to live in the house?