Poor hen needs help - UPDATE

[birdlover]

Just started caring for a small flock of production reds at a vegetable/fruit stand out of my love for chickens (and not having any now). This was with the owners' permission - they know me personally from working at their Fall Festival the past two years. Anyway, one hen appears to have been attacked by a predator as half her wing is missing. Don't know when this happened. I just started looking after them this week as they appeared to be pretty much ignored and that's why I asked to help with them. (No one seemed to know about this hen - or care!

). Of course, some of the chickens were having a hay day pecking her wound and they didn't have any blu-kote so I bought some today and sprayed it on her wounds. She appears to have an injury UNDER her wing too. But I'm afraid it's past just the blu-kote stage as, when I picked her up and took a closer look, the main bone of the wing was open and some cloudy white liquid leaked out.

These are not my chickens so I am NOT going to pay for a vet. Just want to know what else I can do for her? This is the first time I've ever used blu-kote and expected the chickens to magically stop their pecking but, as soon as I put her down, the biggest culprit came up and pecked her wound. I do think I noticed a kind of puzzled look on her face. LOL But does blu-kote AlWAYS stop them from pecking? They do have places where she could be kept away from the others but what else should I do for her? Thanks.

 

[hoosierhen]

Is the end of the bone exposed, or is it open the length of the bone?

 

[birdlover]

The end of the bone is exposed.

 

[mypicklebird]

So you are helping care for some chickens, whom the owners are neglecting? Good sam work yes, but you are enabling the owners to keep the chickens in a substandard way. Is your local animal control office responsible for neglected farm type animals? Try calling them, report the animal in distress if they will check on farm animals. If bone is exposed & half her wing is missing, the wound likely needs more care that you can do. If you cannot/will not have her wing wound cleaned and closed at a vet's (the protruding bone needs to be covered or removed)- then have AC come and impound the suffering animal and the owner will be forced to deal with it. It may end in euthanasia, but that in my mind is better than having a wound left to fester and the bird die in a week or two after enduring much pain. jess

 

[birdlover]

Not to defend the owners but I believe they asked one of the people who work there to take care of the chickens and they didn't notice. Even I didn't notice until I heard her crying when one of the others was on her pecking her. The other chickens are doing well healthwise. I agree, though, that she will probably need to be put down. Right now, she seems okay (not suffering) but that most likely will not be the case on down the road. Thank you for your feedback.

 

[birdlover]

Well, I think I have good news on this little gal. First of all, the man who is supposed to take care of the chickens was gone for a week and whoever was supposed to take his place dropped the ball but he's back now and seems to be very caring.

So, I put the blu-kote on her twice and that has definitely helped with the pecking. I have some meds left over from a sick chicken I had - meloxicam for pain and inflammation and Baytril, eight days worth. I have been giving her the recommended doses and she seems to be doing fine now. Her wound has dried up - no more leaking fluid - and she is acting like a normal chicken.

John, the hired caregiver, is off on weekends so I have been caring for her until tomorrow when he will take over the meds, twice a day. Hopefully, prayerfully, she will be fine.

 

[ivan3]

Nice work!

P.S. The only substance I've found that absolutely ends pecking (good for cutting down on turkey sparring as well) is Pine tar: Hard to work with if not warmed up, must wear gloves or use an applicator to apply, is something of a mild toxin as well - but we've used it with great success when blu-kote didn't cut it.