my hen was attacked by other hens nine days ago. did alot of damage to head and neck. have been feeding with a tube buttermilk,olive oil,cooked oatmeal and yogurt. she seems to be healing no sign of infection but she shakes her head alot and her balance is off. she is opening her eyes now but sleeps alot. she won't make any effort to eat or drink. am i on the right track ? what else can i do?
So sorry to hear about your hen. It sounds like you are doing the best you can with the situation. You can try to give her some vitamin E. Poke a hole in the end of the capsule and mix it with what you are feeding her. It will help with neurological problems brought on by deficiencies and will also help make her want to eat and drink. Try dipping her beak in a water dish to see if she will drink on her own. Also place like yogurt or other soft foods on the side of her beak to get her to eat on her own. It sounds like she has gone through severe trama and will need to be basically taught how to eat and drink on her own again. A bit of sugar in the water sometimes helps as well as working with soft food treats.
Thanks For Help I Will Try Your Suggestions . Seems To Be A Slow Process But She Is Improving Evert Day.
Chickens can sense when there is a weak or sick one, and they will try to kill it. You might need to approach this from the angle that she was sick to start with, and that's why she is acting the way she is.........rather than it being from the others attacking her. Sometimes chickens have problems that we just can't figure out. She may have to be separated from the others forever. Good luck with yours.
I am looking at the food you are currently giving her and was wondering if you can somehow increase her protein. You get baby bird food, for parrots etc that you can get at the pet shop. Perhaps that will build her up a bit to where she can start eating on her own. Have you tried offering her live mealworms? They make peak her interest since they are moving. Best wishes and please keep us posted on her progress.
