We know broody hens. How about a nanny hen?

[azygous]

Trouble in paradise. The largest chick, Jules, has sustained a serious leg injury. No, do not have any clue how it happened.

I gave her aspirin and have been gently stretching and massaging the leg. She is agreeable to this for the most part. It's when I pick her up that she screams in pain. Su-su gets very upset when she hears her chick screaming in pain. She lunges toward me and chatters rapidly, but settles right down because she does trust me, and she seems aware that the chick also trusts me.

Jules will lie in my lap and she allows the stretching and massaging. She even relaxes and closes her eyes. It seems she can stand on the leg all right, but when she tries to walk, it folds up and she collapses. I suspect a slightly torn or strained tendon.

Interesting side note. It seems chicks have no problem loudly letting me know they are in pain while adult chickens seem successfully to hide their pain.

Tonight, I got the cat bed out again, and it looked at first that Su-su was going to curl up in it with her injured chick, but she decided she'd rather roost with the other three. Jules was left to sleep alone in the cat bed. It makes me sadder than I can express to see my chick in pain like this. I'm hoping for some decisive improvement in the morning.

 

[aart]

I'm hoping for some decisive improvement in the morning.

 

[azygous]

Jules is a little bit better, or at the very least, no worse. She can stand on both legs, takes a few shaky steps, reminding me of what I must look like when I get out of bed in the morning, and then promptly squats.

If Su-su is standing nearby, Jules will try to scoot under Su-su's skirts. Pain has Jules reverting to baby chick behavior. I gave her aspirin, and I may try to rig a chick chair for her today.

 

[ValerieJ]

I'm so sorry to hear about the chick. I hope she gets well very soon!!

 

[azygous]

Showing a bit more improvement. But Jules is in obvious pain. The aspirin has made her a bit more comfortable, though. Hopefully it's also reducing the inflammation.

I rigged a chick chair, but the chicks are all afraid of it because chickens get upset over the slightest change in objects present in their little world. Except food, of course. A large variety of tasty treats is always tolerated stoically.

 

[aart]

I just crate them if they limp too badly.....'forced bed rest'.

 

[ValerieJ]

Showing a bit more improvement. But Jules is in obvious pain. The aspirin has made her a bit more comfortable, though. Hopefully it's also reducing the inflammation.

I rigged a chick chair, but the chicks are all afraid of it because chickens get upset over the slightest change in objects present in their little world. Except food, of course. A large variety of tasty treats is always tolerated stoically.

Maybe just create a space in the coop for her with some food and water? And treats...definitely treats.

 

[azygous]

I tried to get Jules to accept the chick chair, but just as I think she'll relax and enjoy it, she goes nuts and pops herself out like a jack-in-the-box, but she ends up tumbling head over tail and I'm concerned she'll make her injury worse.

The food and water are low where she can reach it, and today, her sisters are staying in the run and not tempting her to try to join them outside.

 

[azygous]

Not a happy update. Jules is worse. That's not the direction I was expecting this to go. Lethargic. Limp. Flacid neck. Droopy eyes.

She may be suffering from not eating enough, dehydration, or she is symtomatic for LL, (avian leucosis) which my flock carries. I will be tubing her with fluids and food in a bit. First, I want to see if she revives on her own after being out of her crate where she spent the night.

 

[azygous]

Jules revived a bit as I had hoped. But she's weak, and I have expected that since she is in pain, can't get around, and she isn't going to be getting the food and water she needs.

It's easy to mistake weakness and lethargy for illness. It's always a good idea to treat for starvation and dehydration before you give up. I gave her some Nutri-drench and syringed some warm sugar water with a little B-complex directly into her crop. That further revived her. I decided to see if she'll eat on her own before I tube feed her.

A nifty, simple trick to get a sick or injured chicken to eat is to sprinkle the dry crumbles on the floor of their infirmary crate or the ground in their run. It worked great with Jules.

I dumped a pile of dry crumbles on the sand in front of her, and she is now gobbling them up like a starving critter, which she likely is. Also stimulating her to eat are the other three chicks and Su-su helping her make the crumbles disappear.