Terrible fire - burned chickens - what to do Help please.

[blueskylen]

Hi,

last night an electrical fire burned inside of the coop - killed 4 and the rest are badly singed. I have treated a couple of them with niosporin on their wattles and comb, but it looks bad on one of them. we had to kill one of them that was badly burned, but the rest don't seem to be burned under their feathers - just feathers burned off

they all have smoke inhalation and I don't know what to do- they aren't drinking yet, and I don't know whether to let them be for a while or try to get them to take some water????

i am heartbroken and can't stop crying.

 

[baldie]

I am sooo sorry. I don't know how to help. Someone should chime in soon with good advice, hang in there!

 

[chickensioux]

Hello, Oh my goodness how terrible. I am so sorry. You must be devastated.
Put all the chickens in a well ventilated area. Make sure the neosporin you are using does not contain any pain killing ingredients (anything with "caine")
Keep them as quiet and calm as possible.
If you have any vitamins and electrolytes to add to their water do that or put some gatorade or sugar in their water.
Try to get them drinking if at all possible.
Just keep a close eye on them and try to reduce their stress level.
Hopefully someone else will have some info as well.
Good luck and again I am so sorry for your losses.

 

[ChickBond 007]

 

[lovemychix]

Oh how terrible. Hopefully they will recover.

 

[ruth]

I'm so sorry to hear of your fire and the losses and damage. It must have been awful to discover.

As has been mentioned, you want to keep them as stress-free as possible at this point in a well ventilated area. If you have a pen or fenced area outside that you could put them in, with food and water, I would do that, and then just leave them alone to settle down and breathe some fresh air.

They are tougher than we give them credit for.

 

[blueskylen]

I called my brother - who is a vetrinarian- and my husband is taking all of them to his clinic in Pittsburgh- 2hours each way.
they said that they could put them in an oxygen tent.

hopefully they will live

 

[blueskylen]

well we got the chickens to my brother the vet - had to put 2 more down with breathing problems. I haven't checked with him this AM to see how the other 7 are doing. they were singed pretty badly, but I couldn't see any bare skin exposed on them. Altho all were gasping for breath.

i can't believe that the entire building did not burn down, as there was a 3 ft. hole in the floor burned out and all of the roosts in the front of the coop were ashes- the other half of the coop did not even have the straw burned, but the front is where they all roost at night, so that is why they were burned and must have been too frightened to fly to the back of the coop.

I am wondering if the DE that was sprinkled heavily on the floor and mixed with the straw may have slowed the fire down? I have no other explanation.

 

[wegotchickens]

Don't know the answer about the DE. But I'm glad your coop didn't burn down!

I'm very grateful that you have such a supportive family, who helped you tend to your injured birds. That's really awesome!!

 

[unionwirewoman]

I know your brother is a vet ....but having them in a room with a humidifier will help if nothing else....don't ask...saw it on one of the discovery channel programs . Unfortunately there's not much else that can be done . Hope they make it through....sending hopefull thoughts and