Some one please HELP !!! I don't know what is wrong!? (Pic)

[Cetawin]

Here is some further information for you that may help...but first a picture. This is what happened to my girl, Fancy...in less than 3 hours. I fed them and cleaned waterer, scooped poop and played with everyone....3 hours later she looked like this

It is a bit hard to see but her vent was enlarged and the opening stayed about the size of a dime. Everytime she exhaled, I heard a sort of sucking slushy sound...that is how I found out the airsac was ruptured...so listen for that or watch her vent for air bubbles in the blood when she is breathing.

Keep her in a quiet place, make sure she is warm and all cleaned and doctored up. Yogurt, scrambled egg and electrolytes will all benefit her by extra protein intake and keep her from dehydrating.

Keep us posted and updated please. Consider giving the girls more room or something to play with ...a small head of lettuce cut in half will occupy them and not hurt them...they will busy themselves with pulling pieces off or a half a watermelon...until you can get them in bigger digs.

They are fragile and can die quickly because they hide illness so well but they are also very tough when it comes to injury...and recover from some gruesome injuries...so I have faith that she will heal if nothing else has been injured and no infection or illness takes hold.

 

[k2chickens]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I think what makes most sense is that since they are all different ages they are just starting to become aggressive and the older girls are probably just bored and wanting to be free ranged 24/7 instead of being in a brooder. I just didn't think they were old enough or would be able to handle the weather. It has been raining alot lately and is going to start raining AGAIN this week so for now I think I am just going to separate the older ones from the younger ones and make sure I can get audrina healed and back to normal before I let her join the rest of the flock!

 

[Cetawin]

Do me a favor if you seperate the age groups...make sure they can see each other and interact through wire or something. if not, when you do eventually make them one flock, there will be fights and blood drawn ... or at least it very very much a strong probability. My girls were seperated by a chicken wire wall in a 12' x 12' coop for almost 4 weeks and then I introduced the supervised for a little bit at a time. I did that daily and I increased the time they spent together, broke up any fights immediately and after 2 weeks of that I turned them all loose together and everyone did fine. there was the normal scuffles for pecking order but no fighting.

But they are not fully feathered and ready for the elements until 8 - 10 weeks old preferrably wait till 10 weeks.

 

[k2chickens]

I am going to separated all the girls and get them all comfortable and settled in for the night and I will keep everyone posted tomorrow! Thanks again for all the help and I really hope this behavior can stop now and not happen again!

 

[Cetawin]

Good Luck with them and have a great night. Oh you can also soak her bottom in warm espsom salt water too to help the swelling...I would do it inbetween medicating the area and rinse and pat her dry well then re-apply neosporin to the wounds.

 

[Brick243]

Quote:
What is blue koted?

Blue Kote is an antiseptic-protective wound covering that you spray on. You can get it at your feed store.

 

[k2chickens]

*Update*

Today I woke up and audrina is doing much better I soaked her bottom and applied neosporin on her wound. Her wound looks much better today and she is more upbeat. The other girls have not turned on anyone else and they are still all separated. I have been keeping a very close eye on them to make sure this behavior doesn't continue and I took the advice of everyone and added some egg yolk in the older girls feed to add protein. I also threw in some snacks to keep them busy as well as added some grass and clover in their brooder.

I think this is all I can do until they are all in the coop. Even though they are separated they can all still see and hear each other and are well aware that the other girls are still close by.

I will keep everyone updated later this evening cause I'm just going to let them be for a while and see if they will attempt to do it again. This is hard for me cause ever since the incident I have been checking on them every 20 min or so and I keep feeling bad that they are going to hurt one another again!

 

[Judy]

Quote:
This is excellent advice. I would put the oldest group in the coop today, and let them in the run or yard part of the day. Their instinct to wander around and peck for goodies starts around 3 days, so they have been confined too long. I would start taking the younger ones outdoors, at least for short periods, as well, although they do need to be separated til older.

I also agree the injured chick needs to be kept separate til healed. When you do return her to the flock, remember that she will likely be at the bottom of the pecking order, so it could start all over again; you will have to monitor the return closely.

 

[ruth]

Glad to hear she is doing better. She should fully recover from her wounds.

I noticed you said you have been letting the older chicks out for a few hours each day and then putting them back in the brooder. That could be your problem. Once they taste freedom they really, really, don't like getting locked up in a small brooder again and get really restless and aggressive towards one another.

I put my chicks out of the hutch when they are about 3 weeks old (if temps are above 60). I just turn them loose and they are free to do what they will each day with total freerange. They normally stay inside the coop at first since their hutch was in the coop but they soon discover the joys of being outside and after that they only come back to the coop at night. I've rarely lost a chick to freeranging and I have over 200 chickens of all breeds, sizes and lots of roosters and no one ever picks on the baby chicks. I have a bunch of baby chicks right now that love to squeeze through the wire and go into the rooster pen and the roosters in there seem to love their company.

 

[k2chickens]

I let the older girls free range today for the first time and will prolly leave them out there till dark. I will probably let the younger ones out as well later but not until my boyfriend gets home so he can help me keep on eye on them and make sure non of the cannibal behavior is coming back! I did not let audrina out to free range and I feel bad about it! Should i just let her get her rest or do you think it will be okay to let her out with the others as well?