Isolated bird injuring itself

[Beaker99]

I have a ten week old ameraucana isolated for an impacted crop. I have her in a big tub on the porch with a hardcloth cover. She's pecking the walls so much that the comb is now bleeding. I cannot put her with the flock as they are on pasture and the crop has not completely cleared. How can I help her chill out?

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a wire dog crate that you can put her with food and water, but where she can be with her flock in the coop or yard? Pictures of the beak might help. What are you doing for the impacted crop?

 

[Beaker99]

I don't have a crate like that. I have tried the elixir with ginger, cinnamon, etc. I have tried multiple rounds of oil. Lots of massage. Tried an Epsom salt flush. I got ducolax this morning. She passed some of the grass clump over night. I can still feel a small mass about penny to nickel sized. I am offering grit and finally have her some yogurt because she had gone a long time without food.

 

[coach723]

If you can't crate her then maybe put one or two others with her in the tub, depending on space, that may calm her down.

 

[Beaker99]

How long can she go without food? We made some progress overnight and I'm feeling optimistic. I had to feed her at all.

 

[Eggcessive]

She should be getting some food, either egg or watery feed, plain yogurt or other mushy food. Are you able to borrow or build a crate of some kind? With chickens over the years, you will always have a need to separate a chicken for illness or bullying. Temporarily placing a friend in with her would be helpful. When I introduce new pullets that are big enough, I always use a pen of fencing, where they can all be close to each other for a week or two before putting them all together. Lowes sells rolls of poultry netting and hardware cloth, and those can be stapled to a wood frame. But dog crates are fairly easy to find or borrow.

 

[coach723]

I have a bunch of crates that I picked up at yard sales. They come in very handy for all kinds of things. Integration, hospital crates, broody breakers. They are invaluable for all kinds of uses.