chickenthebrooks
In the Brooder
- Oct 24, 2020
- 7
- 1
- 11
Some back story(i'll try to keep this brief) A little over a year ago my boyfriend and I moved to the country. I always wanted chickens, and was never able to have any because of where I lived, so about a month after we settled in we went and got 6 chicks. We raised them until they were grown. Unfortunately, a dog got into their pin and killed 3 of them in the night. Of the survivors, I had 2 hens and a rooster. The next day, when i went to inspect the damage, I noticed that one of the hens, Betsy, had been injured. She had her wing ripped right out of the socket. I took her to a vet in my area, which was a bit of a nightmare, because although he was a sweet old man, he was very forgetful, slow, and rambled on quite a bit. I stood there for like 2 hours and watched him slowly stitch up Betsy. I observed very carefully, even helping him at times. But because of the way he stitched her up (right over the bone that was protruding from what used to be her wing) it opened up as it was healing, and things got very ugly for a while.
She did manage to heal and adapt, however. I had no idea chickens could be so resilient.
Since then, she's been through a lot. I've had to stitch her up myself about 4 times since then, because I couldnt afford to take her back to the vet, and didn't have the patience for that ordeal again. Each time i've stitched her up, she's healed an got on with her life. But this brings me to the situation currently at hand.
About a week ago, she was attacked yet again. This time, it was more severe. She wouldnt put any pressure on her right leg, preferring instead to hunker down low. She had two large gashes under her left wing, one of them i think might have been over a lung. She had a couple of her big tail feathers ripped out, with a gash just bellow that. On her right side, she just had one big gash, which wasnt a very clean cut at all. I got to work and very carefully stitched her up as quickly as i could, taking extra care around her lung.
Her flesh wounds are healing, and since she started molting right before this happened her tail feathers have already sprouted through, but i have no idea if she has any internal injuries. She will drink water when i offer it to her, but wont eat on her own. I've tried giving her meal worms, eggs, corn, and a solution of salt/sugar in some water, but i have to basically put it in her mouth, and she doesnt like it. I dont like doing it. But i just dont want her to die because she's been through so much, and ive learned so much through her, and i know it sounds silly because she's just a chicken and most people would probably just put her out of her misery, but i cant do that. She's more than just a chicken to me. If there's something i can do for her, i want to do it.
Currently my concern is why she wont stand or eat. I have had her isolated in her coop since this happened, which has been easy to do since she's the only hen i have left. Every morning i go out there and try feed her, but i'm never able to get much in her, and im probably not feeding her what she should be having in a situation like this. I have looked at her leg and found no obvious sprain, bruising, or injury of any kind. She shifts around while she sits, but wont stand. Could she have some sort of paralysis? A spinal injury perhaps? How would I check for that sort of thing?
Also, feel free to tell me if i've just been screwing this up completely. Is there something better i could be trying to feed her? Any advice is greatly appreciated. I can provide pictures if necessary.
She did manage to heal and adapt, however. I had no idea chickens could be so resilient.
Since then, she's been through a lot. I've had to stitch her up myself about 4 times since then, because I couldnt afford to take her back to the vet, and didn't have the patience for that ordeal again. Each time i've stitched her up, she's healed an got on with her life. But this brings me to the situation currently at hand.
About a week ago, she was attacked yet again. This time, it was more severe. She wouldnt put any pressure on her right leg, preferring instead to hunker down low. She had two large gashes under her left wing, one of them i think might have been over a lung. She had a couple of her big tail feathers ripped out, with a gash just bellow that. On her right side, she just had one big gash, which wasnt a very clean cut at all. I got to work and very carefully stitched her up as quickly as i could, taking extra care around her lung.
Her flesh wounds are healing, and since she started molting right before this happened her tail feathers have already sprouted through, but i have no idea if she has any internal injuries. She will drink water when i offer it to her, but wont eat on her own. I've tried giving her meal worms, eggs, corn, and a solution of salt/sugar in some water, but i have to basically put it in her mouth, and she doesnt like it. I dont like doing it. But i just dont want her to die because she's been through so much, and ive learned so much through her, and i know it sounds silly because she's just a chicken and most people would probably just put her out of her misery, but i cant do that. She's more than just a chicken to me. If there's something i can do for her, i want to do it.
Currently my concern is why she wont stand or eat. I have had her isolated in her coop since this happened, which has been easy to do since she's the only hen i have left. Every morning i go out there and try feed her, but i'm never able to get much in her, and im probably not feeding her what she should be having in a situation like this. I have looked at her leg and found no obvious sprain, bruising, or injury of any kind. She shifts around while she sits, but wont stand. Could she have some sort of paralysis? A spinal injury perhaps? How would I check for that sort of thing?
Also, feel free to tell me if i've just been screwing this up completely. Is there something better i could be trying to feed her? Any advice is greatly appreciated. I can provide pictures if necessary.
