My buff orpington, Bojangles, likes to go in the garage when I let them out. Even if I shut the back door, she still works her way around the front so she can get in the front door, which we always leave open for personal reasons. Today, when I was putting her away, I found her in the garage and she was opening her mouth in a wierd way. I didn't give it a second thought, and I picked her up to take her back to the coop. She started shaking her head and making very strange noises. I looked at her and I saw one of those red fishing hooks coming out of her mouth!!!! It wasn't peircing her or anything, just hooked around her cheek. I gently pulled on it, and it came out, but it woulnd't come out of her mouth. I tugged a little harder thinking she wanted to swallow it and not let it go, but then i saw something green at the end of it. At first, I thought, OMG, my chicken has worms and I'm pulling it out, and i pulled a little faster. I thought she might be choking, so I pulled it all the way out quickly, but gently. After it was in my hand, I discovered that it wasn't a worm at all, but one of those long plastic frog fishing lures! I'm afraid I might have hurt her by pulling it out. Do you guys think she will be alright? How can I keep her away from the dangerous garage? I wasn't sure if I should have posted this in the managing your flock, feeding and watering, or emergencies sections. Sorry if I'm in the wrong spot.
If no blood, she should be just fine. If there is blood but only a little, she'll likely also be fine. That said...
It's funny now, but it wasn't funny then! I just about threw up! it was so scary and gross and everything at the same time! I'm better now though. There was no blood because the hook never got into her beak. I was just worried I might hurt her crop by pulling something out of it.
We've spent a great deal of time & some $ to protect our flock from themselves and predators. Last summer, we had an egg bound hen and nothing that we did helped. My dear husband took that hen to a vet who removed the egg, examined and xray'd the hen and discovered she had two little gun shells in her gizzard! We don't know if she ever passed the shells and now we call her Bullet. Since then, we have come to our senses & won't be taking any more chickens to a vet.
She isn't stupid she just might need glasses. You should have her checked. MY chickens would never fall for artificial bait!
This could be a new sport, Fly Poultry????? Maybe it was a fly with rooster feathers and she was trying to kill the rooster????
Wouldn't call this chicken stupid-- just inquisitive. Small children would do the same thing, and if you didn't have arms/hands the only way you could know what something new to you was for sure would be by picking it up with what you had available-- your mouth.
I agree that this chicken isn't stupid, but has a child like curiosity . Chicken owners have to think of their chickens as they are, and be smart about putting up things that we don't want them into just like with our children . That chicken may one day sit in your window looking inside at you and shake her head wondering why you don't eat real fresh moist delicious frogs instead of hard cold flavorless old frogs, I bet she goes back to the other chickens saying, "wow, you should see what I found out in the people's garage, they have cold stiff frogs, nothing like the yard frogs we get, AND they LOVE the nasty thyings so much the man person ripped it out of my throat as I was swallowing it, wow whaaat an experience!!!!!!"
Guineas are dumb. Chickens (especially games, in my case,) are more clever. I bet she turns out alright, and on a side note, I used to have a BO named Bojangles too! Lol.
