URGENT: HEN NEARLY DROWNED, PLEASE HELP

[casportpony]

Suggestion...hold her upside down to let extra water leave her crop.

Have you done this before?

 

[cassie]

My mother had some young chickens in a box in the house for a while. One of them got out of the box and found his way to the bathroom. My mother found him "drowned" in the toilet. She fished him out and she thought he was dead. She put him on the sun porch under a trash can lid until she could dispose of the body. Anyway, before long she heard this funny croak. The sun coming through the window warmed up the metal trash can lid which warmed up the chicken. He was a little weak and wobbly for a bit but in the end he was fine. My mother named him Lazarus. Anyway, the key here was to warm the chicken up. It doesn't take long in the water for the chicken to get badly chilled. In your case, warm it up. A heating pad might be a good idea but keep turning the chicken so it doesn't cook on one side.

 

[cassie]

Yes - she wouldn't get too hot with the pad would she?

Put it on low and keep turning her.

 

[TheCakeIsAWolf]

With your stock tank keeping something that floats like a ramp made of wood in the stock tank can be the difference between life and death for unfortunate birds that accidentally fall in. Good luck with your hen I've got my fingers crossed for her.

 

[Shaycres]

With your stock tank keeping something that floats like a ramp made of wood in the stock tank can be the difference between life and death for unfortunate birds that accidentally fall in. Good luck with your hen I've got my fingers crossed for her.

The ironic part about this is that I was JUST headed there to put a floatation object in the tank for frogs that get stuck in there sometimes. Now I'm definitely going to build something like a ramp, I've lost a duck to this wretched tank too :'(

 

[Shaycres]

Put it on low and keep turning her.

Could I possibly use a heat lamp instead or is a pad preferable?

 

[casportpony]

Could I possibly use a heat lamp instead or is a pad preferable?

I prefer a pad with them wrapped in a sleeping bag. We have lots of stock tanks here, so I get to do this a few times a year. If you can get them to the point where they are shivering they usually make it.

 

[demonic]

I don't have VetRX but I assume that can be found at any feed store? If she makes it through the night I will get her some tomorrow

Yeah. Keep monitoring her. Hopefully she survives!

 

[TheCakeIsAWolf]

The ironic part about this is that I was JUST headed there to put a floatation object in the tank for frogs that get stuck in there sometimes. Now I'm definitely going to build something like a ramp, I've lost a duck to this wretched tank too :'(

At the very least folks who see this will get the memo that they need to keep an eye out for incidents like this and hopefully make ramps of their own. Speaking of irony I guess there may also be some in losing a duck to drowning. I just saw these wire mesh design ramps and they seem like they would provide easy grip and not be slippery.

 

[Shaycres]

This story thankfully gets a happy ending...
The first picture is Waffles last night, and the second is her today.


Any recommendations for follow up? I know getting water into the lungs is bad news. Any shots or other preventative measures I could take to prevent any respiratory illness?