I have a 9 mo old NHR that started limping on Friday. She spent most of the weekend in the nesting box (I have a big communal area) but was being shoved away and pecked by the other chickens so yesterday I decided to put her in a large dog crate in the coop so that she would have some piece and quiet. I felt her leg and could not find any obvious breaks or other injuries. There was no blood or a wound.
Edited to add that I checked for bumble foot and there was no evidence of that either. When I touched her thigh it seemed to hurt.
During all this time she was eating and drinking, I made sure she had access to food and water without having to walk far. After I put her in the dog crate she seems much weaker, only wanting to sleep, she's not attempted to stand up, staying in the position that I put her in the crate in. She's not interested in treats or regular food, I don't know if she's been drinking.
I also have a 9 mo old ameraucana rooster (pure-bred). He's very hard on all the girls and I assumed she had pulled a muscle while the roo came down on her. Now I am wondering if the roo can have done more damage than just the leg. Could he have caused internal injuries? I am not sure she'll be alive when I get home from work.
I'm trying to rehome the roo, but at this point it might be better to rehome him to the eternal scratching grounds in the heavens. I'm afraid for my other hens if he is the cause of the death of this one. He's not aggressive towards me, just to the hens who he tries to breed many, many times over.
Edited to add: So my question really is: do you think the rooster is responsible for the condition of my hen, or am I blaming him for nothing?
Edited to add that I checked for bumble foot and there was no evidence of that either. When I touched her thigh it seemed to hurt.
During all this time she was eating and drinking, I made sure she had access to food and water without having to walk far. After I put her in the dog crate she seems much weaker, only wanting to sleep, she's not attempted to stand up, staying in the position that I put her in the crate in. She's not interested in treats or regular food, I don't know if she's been drinking.
I also have a 9 mo old ameraucana rooster (pure-bred). He's very hard on all the girls and I assumed she had pulled a muscle while the roo came down on her. Now I am wondering if the roo can have done more damage than just the leg. Could he have caused internal injuries? I am not sure she'll be alive when I get home from work.
I'm trying to rehome the roo, but at this point it might be better to rehome him to the eternal scratching grounds in the heavens. I'm afraid for my other hens if he is the cause of the death of this one. He's not aggressive towards me, just to the hens who he tries to breed many, many times over.
Edited to add: So my question really is: do you think the rooster is responsible for the condition of my hen, or am I blaming him for nothing?
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