Hurt chicken

[rebrascora]

No, not in with the other chickens as they will almost certainly push her around. She needs to be within sight of them but in a safe cage (a large dog crate is good) on some grass if at all possible or within the pen if there is no grass, at least for a few hours a day to get some sunshine and grass and so that the flock see her and remember her, otherwise when she is (hopefully) better and ready to reintegrate, they will have forgotten her and treat her like an outsider, which will cause a lot of stress and could make her sick again. I tend to scatter a small amount of scratch in and around the cage so that the flock can forage around the cage and she can feel part of them but in a safe environment where she has her own space and food and water and cannot be bullied. Hope that makes sense. Grass has some great healing properties and can act like a tonic to help pick them up.

If she is not struggling desperately to be out of the sling then it is reasonable to assume she feels comfortable. Did she eat the egg and strawberry? It is really important to keep her eating with enthusiasm so tempt her with healthy treats. If you can buy some raw liver.... pigs, lambs or ox liver and cut it into small slivers and see if she will eat a little of that each day as well as a soft mash made with her regular feed and water, or better still fermented as the probiotics in fermented feed will help to support her immune system along with some Nutri Drench. Liver is really wholesome and contains B vitamins as well as essential amino acids and protein to help build her back up..... and it is reasonably cheap to buy..... a little cat food can also be beneficial. Make sure she has access to grit as that is something that is easily forgotten when a chicken is brought in to convalesce.

Good luck with her.

 

[gringold]

Mine have a long run that they usually stay at the end of. Do you think if I put her in the crate next to the fence down there that would work? There is grass beside the run for her to be in. I don't let my free range anymore since the hawks got several of them. Now they have a long run that winds around the yard to under a tree. She is not eating or drinking like she was.

 

[gringold]

Will cows liver work?

 

[rebrascora]

Yes cows/ox liver, cattle or beef liver whatever you want to call it. If she is losing her appetite, that is concerning. It can happen when you separate them from the flock, that's why putting them near the flock and encouraging the flock to come and forage around them can help, so perhaps alternate between putting her cage in the run and scattering food around.... and putting her on the grass next to it. Grass needs to be short otherwise you could be adding an impacted crop to her health problems. It is important to keep her happy and eating. Maybe if you have her cage in the run, hand feed some of the liver to the other girls and then offer her some. If she will not take it give it to the others and try with the next piece. If she really is not interested, don't force it as that will just stress her. Try something else.... I believe apple sauce is well received.... not overly nutrient dense but will keep her system ticking over. Cottage cheese, eggs, a little tuna, a bit of beef mince just keep trying to tempt her to eat. Once she stops eating there is not a lot of hope, so trying to stimulate her to eat is really important and sometimes the sight of other chickens eating can really help. A direct dose of Nutri Drench Poultry supplement into her beak should also give her a boost, so definitely try that.

 

[gringold]

She passed away today. I tried the NutriDrench and something called Rooster Booster that has iron in it. I had to give it to her with a syringe and she took it, but I guess she just wasn't going to get better. Thank you for your advice and help. If one of my other two babies shows up sick, I will jump on it immediately with everything. I am going to give them all NutriDrench in their water for a few days.

 

[Kiki]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[rebrascora]

I too am very sorry to hear she didn't make it. I know how heart breaking that is

 

[gringold]

Thank you.