Official BYC Poll: What Do You Do With Seriously Sick/Injured Chickens?

[Araucana Nest]

What I call seriously injured would be beyond calling anyone or asking for advice. It would be an act of mercy to end the suffering. If they are very close to death, I gently move them to a dark, cool place and let them die quietly without the crawling fire ants that begin to eat the carcass while the bird is still alive. In the winter they would go into my greenhouse. In the summer I would bring them into the utility room If they are beyond help but not actively dying, I’d dispatch them with a .22.
Most injuries that are not life threatening I treat with whatever it is they need. Having had many vet calls over the years, I have quite a little pharmacy going here. My farm vet can treat simple chicken things and there is an avian vet supposedly in a town within driving distance if I needed one but I try to research online and treat symptomatically first. That is usually all that is needed.

Of course there are always new things. I asked on here when I thought Hamilton had Bumble foot this year -it didn’t look exactly like it was- turned out it was a fracture. There was another time, I asked about something and received no answer either time so that isn’t my go to protocol.

 

[aubviouslycornyhomestead]

Several if not most of the options

 

[ackie]

A little bit of everything except seeing a vet. Sick and injured birds get quarantined to a dog crate in the house or the patio weather permitting, as much for their safety as the flocks. I administer care, including meds, as needed, or just give them a space to heal. And if they need to be put down, my SO does it for me because he's a godsend.

 

[cassie]

I've only had one injured bird and found the treatment information I needed here. She recovered with isolation in a dog crate and antibiotic ointment.

I cannot envision spending money on a vet visit for a chicken. They're livestock, not pets.

You have a point, but some chickens ARE pets. I have had a few. However, in the first place, most vets do not treat chickens, and in the second place if there is something seriously wrong with a chicken, there usually isn't much that can be done for it anyway.

 

[SiDaStuff]

One time a fox bit right into the back of my chicken and we had to put it down. We thought that she was a lot better and then in the morning we pulled back her feathers and you could basically see her insidesAnd she was in a lot of pain so we had to put it down. keep watching for me in my posts!

 

[calboy147]

I ask at BYC. I ask my local Co-Op chicken "expert", and my brother n law that got his degree in animal husbandry with his thesis on chickens. Then i do as suggested, observe and take further action as dictated by recovery. I have been fortunate that in 7 years of raising BYC i have not had any serious problems.

 

[Justicedog]

I cannot justify spending money on a $4.00 chicken, particularly when it's a retired egg layer. If it was something minor that rest can fix, I'll do that. My husband is opposed to bringing a chicken inside (not saying that I've not done it and won't again). If I were able, I'd likely cull the chicken once it seems to not be doing well. However, I just cannot get myself to do that, so illnesses and the chickens dying just stress me out. to no end. I've not had injuries. Basically, I'd come here and try to figure out what was the best thing to do and then I'd do my best.

Luckily, most of my chickens I've found dead in the coop or run without really knowing they were ailing. One I noticed was sick and I'd brought her inside and she'd died overnight. (that was my first batch of 6 chicks from 2012). My next batch of 5 from 2016 are currently in the process of dying off.

One had died unexpectedly, another wasn't doing well, messy butt. I cleaned her off, put her inside the first night, I woke up, she was still there. I put her in a dog crate outside so she could enjoy the outdoors. Brought her back inside for the night, cleaned her butt again, found fly strike. Cleaned that the best I could, kept her inside, the next day, she was still alive, I was hoping/expecting her to be dead the next day. I just couldn't keep doing the butt cleaning and maggot thing, so I took her to a vet to euthanize her. Discovered mites on her while waiting for the vet so had a couple months of deep cleaning the coop. Next chicken was one who just seemed to be getting slower and slower, but would wander around and seem to enjoy life. She did move to a nesting box for 2 nights, and she let the youngsters eat the treats I'd put right in front of her. (She had been mean to the chicken I'd had the vet euthanize - which was what made me realize she was not well), she was also a problem when I was integrating the new chicks after the massive cleaning, so if I'd have been able to cull her myself, she'd have been gone). I had just started really thinking I needed to do another vet run, but luckily, she died overnight the 3rd night in a nesting box.) I've got 2 left from my 2016 batch, only one of them is still laying.

I also have 5 - 18 week chickens. If I'd experienced fly strike before getting this new batch, I'd have not gotten them.

 

[JensHens1987]

This thread pulls on my heart strings tonight. My RIR (2 years old) developed an abdominal rash over winter and was treated topically, diagnosed as allergies this spring (by a vet), but became more distended in the abdomen these past weeks. I have only had chickens 2 years and was late to pick up the symptoms- ascites (water belly), purplish comb. To make a long story short, I removed fluid from the abdomen that was cloudy and had sediment (I assume infection- maybe egg yolk peritonitis?). I called around to my local vets hoping to get antibiotic- she ate tuna and drank water, she would stand outside, but was certainly unhappy. I could not get an antibiotic prescription without being seen and did not want to stress her on a 45 minute car ride to the vet, knowing I would only prolong the inevitable. This afternoon, I tearfully asked my dad to give her the dignified death she deserved. I did not want her to suffer one more night.
As I searched through threads last night, trying to make my decision, I read that oftentimes, chicken keepers feel more regretful about keeping their chickens alive for too long when they are sick- that they should have ended things sooner. I know my sassy Red is no longer suffering. So I guess I implement a bit of each- I had her to the vet, attempted to treat myself (going as far as having my sister perform the emergent paracentesis) and ultimately culled. In all these decisions, I kept her quality of life as my priority, and I can rest easy knowing that. So appreciative of this group!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

This thread pulls on my heart strings tonight. My RIR (2 years old) developed an abdominal rash over winter and was treated topically, diagnosed as allergies this spring (by a vet), but became more distended in the abdomen these past weeks. I have only had chickens 2 years and was late to pick up the symptoms- ascites (water belly), purplish comb. To make a long story short, I removed fluid from the abdomen that was cloudy and had sediment (I assume infection- maybe egg yolk peritonitis?). I called around to my local vets hoping to get antibiotic- she ate tuna and drank water, she would stand outside, but was certainly unhappy. I could not get an antibiotic prescription without being seen and did not want to stress her on a 45 minute car ride to the vet, knowing I would only prolong the inevitable. This afternoon, I tearfully asked my dad to give her the dignified death she deserved. I did not want her to suffer one more night.
As I searched through threads last night, trying to make my decision, I read that oftentimes, chicken keepers feel more regretful about keeping their chickens alive for too long when they are sick- that they should have ended things sooner. I know my sassy Red is no longer suffering. So I guess I implement a bit of each- I had her to the vet, attempted to treat myself (going as far as having my sister perform the emergent paracentesis) and ultimately culled. In all these decisions, I kept her quality of life as my priority, and I can rest easy knowing that. So appreciative of this group!

It's not always easy, in fact euthanizing is almost always hard, but I think you did the right thing. For me at least, I always try to solve for the chicken's best interest. Yes, sometimes heroic effort can keep an animal alive and they can and do survive some horrific things. But ... should they? Sometimes I think we just prolong suffering needlessly. Quality of life, you said. There's a lot to be said for that.

 

[Chicken-Moma]

I know many may disagree with me but if one of my chickens has a big nasty injury, I will not let it suffer. It amazes me why people keep some of these poor birds alive. They hurt! Sure they can/will heal with time but does their pain come in to consideration? If it’s something small or something I’m not sure about, I go to a forum or chicken page to ask for advice and will treat accordingly. The is no chicken vet near me so that is not an option.