Injured Chicken

[dan2gforever]

We have about 9 week old chicks.. This morning my daughter was putting them outside into their run (they are in the garage right now until we build a coop) The story I could out of her is... After she lifted the structure (which is pretty heavy) up to let them in she let it down and realized seconds later she had dropped it on 1 of them.. She lifted it back up and started screaming and crying so I came running. The chick was running, stumbling around with blood coming out of it's nose. I picked it up and it's head just kinda hung down and it was breathing heavy .. I thought it would just die.. but we wrapped it up and took it inside.I've checked for any injuries and the only thing that isn't normal now (8 hours later) is it's still has an open beak (wont shut on it's own) It wants to eat and tries to peck at the food but it can't get it's beak to work right. It's really hard to explain but basically it can't eat or drink on it's own (even though it tries) .. I don't know what to do.. I have searched all over the internet and have yet to find any help on what to do. I don't think it has any external injuries.. the beak looks normal (the blood was a bloody nose that dried right up and now looks normal) It's just that her beak hangs open and she kinda just wiggles her tongue (looks like she's trying to swallow) We tried to hand feed her their crumble but she won't eat it ... but will ''try'' to peck at the ground or peck at like a strawberry but couldn't get her beak to close enough to grab any (I think). I'm just trying to see if there's any advice out there at all at what to do ... Thanks so much!

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

If it was closed on its belly, it could be an internal injury. I had a rooster who had an internal injury, (he was roosted on by some chickens on the far roost) and we couldn't do anything to help him. So he died 3 days later. Just by your description of the heavy door and it on the chick, I'm guessing internal injury, though I have no remedies except culling. Maybe someone else does, which I hope. I'm sorry.

 

[gamechickens]

yes agree culling i would say internal maybe tore the jaw muscle

 

[NovaAman]

Poor chick. I agree. It may be best to cull it, and put the poor thing out of its misery.

 

[dan2gforever]

Thanks for the responses. I put her in a pen all day by herself and let her rest.. She didn't eat or drink (unless I forced her to drink) She seemed to do a great deal in the morning so I let her out with the rest of the chicks. Even though she still had a hard time pecking (eating) and seemed a little "weird" (like she wouldn't perch at all) she kept improving over the next 3 days. It has now been a few weeks and she seems to me doing just fine. They really are resilient little creatures..