Your thoughts?

[JacobH28]

Hello BYC! I have a 4 year old Rhode Island Red who was attacked and targeted by 3 roosters for about a month. Unbeknownst to me, she had a open fracture on her leg and it was about 7 weeks until I found out and the bone seems to have been fixed but is infected it seems. She doesn’t eat or lay. She is alarmingly skinny, and makes no noise. She just stands still for most of the day. Any medications I should try? Should I Cull her? Is she in pain?

Thanks in advance!

 

[-BUCK-]

I'm no chicken expert, so take my advice with a grain of salt..
But what I would do is set up a "chicken hospital." Take a big cardboard box or storage bin, or whatever you have that will give her some room. Make sure she eats lots of food and water, and keep it super clean, so further infection does not occur.
You could spray the wound with first aid antiseptic spray every day, but make sure to not get it in her eyes or food.
I hope this helps, and can you post a picture of the wound?

 

[user651618]

Sounds pretty bad. I'd probably cull tbh.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Photos? If it's infected, odds are that she's not going to win, especially being so skinny.

 

[-BUCK-]

Ok, you could just quit and cull her, but I think you should at least try.
When we had a hen that was brutally attacked by the neighbors dog, the vet said that we needed to euthanize her, and if we didn't, then she would live a miserable life, and never fly again.. lo and behold, we did everything we could, and she fully recovered, and is now flyin and free rangin just as happy as all the other hens.. and I'm tellin ya, her wounds were BAD..
When we bathed her, there were bubbles coming out of her.
We also cured a rooster of the avian flu!
All you need is patience and a prayer
Of all fifty birds, I have only had to cull ONE chick, and this was AFTER I had done everything possible.
So please help your hen and be patient...

 

[-BUCK-]

And those are only two accounts..
I have helped many other ones with the Grace of God, and some wisdom He blessed me with.

 

[Mrs. K]

She is four years old. That is getting old for most chickens. I too, would cull. I think the end is near, regardless.

 

[-BUCK-]

She still has another 3 to 4 years left..
I don't think it's fair to cull without trying everything in your power first.
The end might be near for her, but it ain't here yet!
Please heed my advice, and help the poor girl, for her sake

 

[Holdthechicken]

We tried to save a rooster on my dads farm that seemingly had a bone infection that we caught late. A chickens body slowly auto-amputating infected bone is a long, drawn out, seemingly painful process that I do not recommend.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We tried to save a rooster on my dads farm that seemingly had a bone infection that we caught late. A chickens body slowly auto-amputating infected bone is a long, drawn out, seemingly painful process that I do not recommend.

Same. I have some birds that have gone through frostbite and losing toes and legs. While most act like a normal chicken and will still move away from people, watching them move shows that that they are moving to stay alive, not because it feels okay.