Injured pullet advice?

[NHMountainMan]

Background: My whiting true blue pullet is limping. She's isolated herself by hiding and sleeping in the nest box. She's stayed in the coop when the rest of the flock was outside. I think she been eating and drinking when she's alone in the coop.

With holiday guests etc I haven't really had a close eye on them. I did see one of the cockerels try to mate her about a week ago but they've been moved so either she got hurt by the attempt by the much larger cockerel or something else happened without me noticing.

I've brought her into the garage and gave her water with save a chick electrolytes, and she has food access. I see no visible injury bumblefoot or wound. She had been laying sporadically every 3 or 4 days. But we've had none of her blue eggs since the attempted mating.

Questions :
1- the garage is dark - should I turn on the lights to simulate daylight hours or leave it dark so she rests?

2- should I give her a companion to keep her company? It's a giant sized dog crate, so plenty of room.

3- I will check for egg bound and a more thorough exam, but won't be able to get to it until tonight as we still have guests... Anything else I should do that I haven't listed?

I probably won't be able to reply / read this thread until early evening, but appreciate any advice or guidance you may have for me.

Thanks.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Background: My whiting true blue pullet is limping. She's isolated herself by hiding and sleeping in the nest box. She's stayed in the coop when the rest of the flock was outside. I think she been eating and drinking when she's alone in the coop.

With holiday guests etc I haven't really had a close eye on them. I did see one of the cockerels try to mate her about a week ago but they've been moved so either she got hurt by the attempt by the much larger cockerel or something else happened without me noticing.

I've brought her into the garage and gave her water with save a chick electrolytes, and she has food access. I see no visible injury bumblefoot or wound. She had been laying sporadically every 3 or 4 days. But we've had none of her blue eggs since the attempted mating.

Questions :
1- the garage is dark - should I turn on the lights to simulate daylight hours or leave it dark so she rests?

2- should I give her a companion to keep her company? It's a giant sized dog crate, so plenty of room.

3- I will check for egg bound and a more thorough exam, but won't be able to get to it until tonight as we still have guests... Anything else I should do that I haven't listed?

I probably won't be able to reply / read this thread until early evening, but appreciate any advice or guidance you may have for me.

Thanks.

Give her some Tums. Break up a couple in pieces and put them in her beak. The extra calcium might help her bring on contractions and expel the egg if she is egg bound.

 

[luvmigirls]

If she's limping and can't keep up the rest the flock I think that's why she decided to hide. I think you're doing the best thing so far by keeping her separated.

I would wait till she shows you signs that she's ready to get out of the crate and that she's ready to go run around with her friends again. Chickens don't like being away from their flock. So until she's ready to get back out there I definitely would keep her calm and comfortable. Normal lighting is fine. I don't think egg bound is an issue at this time.

Background: My whiting true blue pullet is limping. She's isolated herself by hiding and sleeping in the nest box. She's stayed in the coop when the rest of the flock was outside. I think she been eating and drinking when she's alone in the coop.

With holiday guests etc I haven't really had a close eye on them. I did see one of the cockerels try to mate her about a week ago but they've been moved so either she got hurt by the attempt by the much larger cockerel or something else happened without me noticing.

I've brought her into the garage and gave her water with save a chick electrolytes, and she has food access. I see no visible injury bumblefoot or wound. She had been laying sporadically every 3 or 4 days. But we've had none of her blue eggs since the attempted mating.

Questions :
1- the garage is dark - should I turn on the lights to simulate daylight hours or leave it dark so she rests?

2- should I give her a companion to keep her company? It's a giant sized dog crate, so plenty of room.

3- I will check for egg bound and a more thorough exam, but won't be able to get to it until tonight as we still have guests... Anything else I should do that I haven't listed?

I probably won't be able to reply / read this thread until early evening, but appreciate any advice or guidance you may have for me.

Thanks.

 

[coach723]

Sprains or strains are not uncommon, so rest may be all she needs. How old is she? Once you do a thorough exam, update with any findings. Check for lice/mites, examine the leg/foot for any redness, swelling, bruising (which may appear dark or greenish) or any other injuries anywhere. Check her abdomen for any bloating and make sure her crop is functioning properly. Whether to put her with others is a judgement call, depends on how she is alone (some birds get very stressed when separated) and whether she's at risk of injury from the flock (they will often be attacked if the flock senses weakness). I will most often put them in a wire crate inside the run with the other birds so that they are protected from injury but can still seen by and see the rest of the flock, unless they are sick enough to need to be kept warmer with supplemental heat, then I will put them in a warmer place.

 

[NHMountainMan]

Thanks for the feedback. The pullet is 26 weeks old. I think she's pretty closely attached to one other pullet so I think I'm going to bring her in to join the injured pullet. I don't think she's been eating or drinking since I put her in the crate. I'll update you all once I've looked her over. Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Being separated from the flock may make it necessary to reintegrate her later, and that can be very difficult. I usually leave my sick or injured chickens inside the coop with others. Using a crate in there with food and water would be ideal, or if you have enough nest boxes, leave her in the nest box, since she is getting food and water. I have also used a recycling basket with pine shavings set on the floor for injured chickens. If you have to keep her in the garage, I would put on some light during daylight hours and bring her friend in with her. Look for redness, green bruising, swelling of the entire leg and foot, and any bumblefoot scabs on a foot pad. Checking her weight for a baseline will let you know if she is losing weight or not.

 

[NHMountainMan]

I can find nothing wrong with her other then a bad limp. No egg or broken shell in her vent, no abnormal crop. No visible wounds anywhere and legs and feet look normal. She shows no reaction when I move or touch her legs. I’m going to assume it’s it’s a sprain and rest will help. I added a buddy pullet to the crate last night and that seemed to perk her up a bit, and she ate and drank this am.
I’m planning on moving the dog crate inside the coop this morning to let her rest without risk .

does this make sense?
Should I leave her buddy in the crate with her?
Anything I missed?
Aspirin?

thanks

 

[aart]

This is what I do with limpers:
If limp is really bothering them by inhibiting their normal activities too much, I will isolate them in a crate to 'force' rest for a day or two. Letting them out late in day, an hour before roost time, to give them a stretch and evaluate their mobility, then decide if they need another day and put them back in crate off roost after dark. Repeat stretch and eval the next day until they are better. Keep crate in coop so bird can remain 'with' the flock.

It can take weeks for a limp to totally go away.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I agree with Aart on this. One of my hens limped a little after the rooster had done his deed. But she recovered fairly quickly and did not need to be separated. I do have two of my hens separated from the rest of the flock while they are finishing their molt and regaining some weight. But they are inside the run during the day and in a pen inside the coop at night. Until they are strong enough to deal with the rooster's advances they will stay separated. Good luck with your pullet.

 

[NHMountainMan]

I'm going to follow @aart 's recommendation and give her a little test each day before dark to see how she's recuperating. I'm moving the crate to the coop shortly so she'll only be away from the flock for one day.
Should I keep her buddy pullet in the crate with her? She seems much more relaxed with her buddy and the buddy didn't seem to mind.
Thanks again