Please help! Near drowned young silkie! :(

[emilyrose]

Please help! Today was only the second day my muscovys and chickens have had the yard together. Usually the ducks have half and the chickens have the other but after over a month of this, I decided it was time to take the temp dividing fence down. There hasn't been any fighting or aggression, just the occasional peck to establish the new "pecking order"
Now, this is where I need some serious help. I came home from work today to find my favourite chicken, a young silkie, almost drowned in the duck pond! I don't know why she was in there, whether her feathers got in the way and couldn't see where she was going or if she fell in while having a drink - I don't know but she is in a bad way. It was almost 40 degrees Celsius here today but she was a freezing, shivering mess of wet feathers. She's obviously been in there awhile, very tired, soaking wet and barely able to hold her head above the water. Any tips on what to do to help her recover? I've warmed her up with a hair dryer and put her in an old guinea pig cage with towels in the warmest room of the house. I've also put her "sister" in with her to help keep her calm and to snuggle together. (Her "sister" is actually an Australorp cross breed but they may as well be from the same mother, lol!)

 

[Beulah89]

Ow that's terrible! I hope your little girl is ok.
One of my girls fell in the pool once but luckily I was there to get her out. Neither of them have gone near it since lol.
Is your pond deep? Does it have high edges? Why was little chicken not able to get out?

 

[Beulah89]

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[Pathfinders]

I would definitely blow her as dry as you can. And it sounds as if it might be best to pen the chickens seperately from the ducks, I am not sure, especially for a Silkie with their inability to see clearly at all times, it is good to house them together.

I hope she recovers fully! Keep us posted.

 

[emilyrose]

Thanks everyone, she seems to be doing better already! I've put them in a small coop that I usually use to quarenteen new birds while she recovers. I think I'll keep her in there for a few days until she recovers fully. Shes up and walking around now but still clearly very tired. Gave her what must of been her first meal of the day (and its night time now) and has now gone to sleep with her sister. I'll definitely be housing the ducks and chickens seperately until the young ones are fully grown!

The "duck pond" ia actually a childrens clam shell that you can use for water or sand. I dug a hole in the ground and put the clam shell in it though because only a month ago, the ducks were too short to jump over the side of the clam shell into the water. They've grown like weeds though! At least double there size now. I'm guessing my Sophie silkie couldn't get back out because of the slopped sides and she is the smallest of all my chooks.

I actually lost my old, first chicken this week to a dog attack. It was a horrible experience, my dad had to put her out of her misery. The shock and adrenaline was keeping her alive and once that had worn off, she would have been in terrible pain. Luckily my dad is a farmers son so he knows how to put her to sleep, quickly and as pain free as possible. RIP Big Mama/Miss Chooky/Gloria (she has a few nicknames hehe)

 

[Pathfinders]

So sorry to hear about your hen, I hope your neighbor will put their dogs up in the future! I hate it when dog owners aren't responsible for their pets, and we pay the price!

 

[Beulah89]

Maybe you could put some rocks around the edge in the water so if it ever happens again it might help them get out or have something to stand on...

 

[emilyrose]

I was thinking of doing that too but I'm not sure how well it will work... The "duck pond" is just a childrens play clam shell in the ground. It's not deep but has slopped edges which is why Sophie couldnt get herself back out, especially with her wet silkie feathers.

I'm happy to announce she is back to her happy self already though! She has bounced back so quickly considering 16 hours ago she could hardly breathe and was a freezing little mess! God bless her

 

[Pathfinders]

I was thinking of doing that too but I'm not sure how well it will work... The "duck pond" is just a childrens play clam shell in the ground. It's not deep but has slopped edges which is why Sophie couldnt get herself back out, especially with her wet silkie feathers.

I'm happy to announce she is back to her happy self already though! She has bounced back so quickly considering 16 hours ago she could hardly breathe and was a freezing little mess! God bless her

Good news! Honestly, I think it might be best to keep breeds like Silkies (with their limited vision) altogether away from open water sources such as your little pond.