Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

angelavdavis

One of the birds I collected on Saturday has a broken wing. She seems OK, although a bit down compared to the others. Any recommendations on treatment for her other than feeding her up and upping her calcium?

Thanks

ginnyknit

Apparently wings fix very well with a little work from the vet, of course that also may be expensive. I read it on the poultry keepers website, broken legs can be fixed too. I was quite suprised, I thought either of those would be the end for a hen. I would ring the vet and check though.

My three girls are all showing major regrowth of feathers, all furled up and ready to pop out any time. Sadly they don't fancy laying eggs at the mo but who can blame them, theyve had a traumatic few weeks and are now living like queens. Im sure one of them will get the urge now the suns around again.

jexygirl

Those chicks are stunning Nyk You lucky thing!

Im not sure about broken wings Angela :S Found this link, which has some info on, and also has another link showing how to tape up a wing, tho it wasnt specific to hens, the principle looks the same:
http://www.birdboard.com/forum/bird-health-safety/44356-ot-broken-wing-chicken.html
Hth.
Glad to hear your girls are doing well Ginny, mine barely show signs of ever being bald now! The new feathers have come through beautifully, so much so that I finally got around to adding some pics to our website as they look healthy now! I am getting about 5 eggs a day atm, from 14 girls, and considering the really cold weather I think its amazing!
Had a slight escaping issue today, no idea how 3 got out, will probably never know! But Buster found them whilst we were walking, until then we didnt even know they were out! He herded one back down,(rather faster than it wanted to be I fear!) I caught another, and after 8 recounts totalling 13, number 14 came strolling her way down the mountain out of the undergrowth without a care in the world!
Jex

Frugaldom

Angela, I agree with the others, a broken wing needs strapping up and the hen will need to be kept away from the others, otherwise they'll just peck at it. Sounds like the result of a cruelty case to me, like someone's just hauled the bird from the cage and broken the wing in the process. If that was the case, I'd report the poultrykeeper who broke its wing. At worst, phone the vet and make sure you let them know exactly which farm the bird came from in such a condition. If it's an old break, then it'll probably be too late to do anything about it without involving really expensive surgery and I suspect any self-respecting vet would require to see the bird before offering any sort of advice.

angelavdavis

I have examined the wing thoroughly and actually I think it is either an old injury, bruising or a deformity of some kind. She doesn't complain where you flex with wing and I have felt along the bone and can't find any breaks.

The wing is just lower than the other one.

She is certainly feisty - I will keep an eye on her as she is only just settling in.

Frugaldom

Glad to hear your hen is looking better than first anticipated, Angela.

Getting about 3 dozen eggs a week now, so the numbers are picking up and eggs are increasingly on the menu. The Pekins and Silkies are laying regularly and the 3 newest chicks are doing well - tiny feathers coming in already!

ginnyknit

My Dh was really worried about Bob (one of his! hens) today cos she looked blue, tried not to laugh, her feathers are coming through and the casings are tinged with blue. If he asks me once more why they aren't laying I will feed him to them. At last the builders are gone so everything may settle down now.

Mumof2_2

You guys are doing really well with eggs - well done to your girls!!!

I'm very pleased because dear little Betsy, our Warren, has been laying almost every day; we got the chickens on 20th February and have now got 9 eggs just from her. The others are not as advanced as her (combs not as prominent etc) so it'll be a while before they pull their weight to help Betsy!

We're letting them free range in the garden a bit and they love it; I've been digging and getting rid of stones and I've always got my helpers in close proximity bless them!

ljonski

Tales from the Henhouse

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8548564.stm

steady__eddie

Several years ago when I used to keep bantams, a cat strayed a little too near the hens for the c0cks liking. With no hesitation for his own safety, he smartly despatched the errant cat. (Hope I haven't upset any cat lovers out there )