- Jan 25, 2013
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Hi, I'm new here and want to seek advice for my injured pullet.
A few weeks ago one of my adult hens pecked at this pullet's leg very badly. When I discovered her I separated her and found that it was much more than superficial wounds, that basically she had pecked away a good portion of her leg.
I am nursing the pullet back to health in my kitchen. It's been almost a month and while the leg has scabbed over and I see new skin grown underneath the scab, the pullet is still having trouble walking. She will use that leg to scratch at herself and sometimes she can also bare weight on it, so she's not paralyzed. However, she mostly spends her day laying down in her cage and will hobble around to get to her water and food so that she doesn't have to stand on her one leg much.
Also, her toes are curled so when she does use her leg to stand she doesn't splay out her toes like a chicken normally would. It is hard to describe but her toes are basically limp and curled together. They are not clenched like a fist and curled under her pad, they are basically just limp and non functional so they curl.
I know I'll never be able to put this pullet back into the coop with my adult hen. She saw her again for the first time yesterday since the incident and the pullet began to have a mini freak out in her cage (the hen had wandered into my kitchen after I left the back door open). Over the last few days I've let the pullet wander around the backyard for some exercise and mostly what she does is hobble a few steps and then lays down in the grass.
I guess what I want to know is if this pullets quality of life is gone? Should I just put her down like my husband suggests or should I attempt to rehome her? I only have one chicken coop and don't have the means to build another one. I wouldn't mind keeping her in a dog kennel her whole life with yard privledges everyday but if it is that difficult for her to get around maybe I am doing her wrong
?
Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks,
A few weeks ago one of my adult hens pecked at this pullet's leg very badly. When I discovered her I separated her and found that it was much more than superficial wounds, that basically she had pecked away a good portion of her leg.
I am nursing the pullet back to health in my kitchen. It's been almost a month and while the leg has scabbed over and I see new skin grown underneath the scab, the pullet is still having trouble walking. She will use that leg to scratch at herself and sometimes she can also bare weight on it, so she's not paralyzed. However, she mostly spends her day laying down in her cage and will hobble around to get to her water and food so that she doesn't have to stand on her one leg much.
Also, her toes are curled so when she does use her leg to stand she doesn't splay out her toes like a chicken normally would. It is hard to describe but her toes are basically limp and curled together. They are not clenched like a fist and curled under her pad, they are basically just limp and non functional so they curl.
I know I'll never be able to put this pullet back into the coop with my adult hen. She saw her again for the first time yesterday since the incident and the pullet began to have a mini freak out in her cage (the hen had wandered into my kitchen after I left the back door open). Over the last few days I've let the pullet wander around the backyard for some exercise and mostly what she does is hobble a few steps and then lays down in the grass.
I guess what I want to know is if this pullets quality of life is gone? Should I just put her down like my husband suggests or should I attempt to rehome her? I only have one chicken coop and don't have the means to build another one. I wouldn't mind keeping her in a dog kennel her whole life with yard privledges everyday but if it is that difficult for her to get around maybe I am doing her wrong
?Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks,
