Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

rachbc

Don't tempt me - I have enough on my hands with small things furry and human, without adding feathered to the mix! I removed her from the nest this morning and have shut them all out in the run - going to try ice cubes in the nest next!

3v3

rachbc wrote: »

... - going to try ice cubes in the nest next!

Ouchie :rotfl:

rachbc

3v3 wrote: »

Ouchie :rotfl:

I know - :eek: - but apparently as well as being uncomfortable if they do sit on them it cools them which helps switch of the boody hormones - here hoping!

rachbc

oh my i feel absolutely terrible - this morning after all 3 hens had laid I shut broody out of the house so all three were in the run all day today - came home from work to find the feeder and drinker strewn around the run and cinderella chicken with blood on her head (she is white so noticed straight away) and though broody may have got grump with her - let them out into the garden for a roam and opened house up too. Broody didn;t come out so opened nest box to turf her out to see a huge wound on her back - about 3 inches of feathers gone and a huge area o skin totally missing - I could see something pulsing and her bones. I nearly fainted it was so horrific - rushed her to the vet who dosed her on antibiotics and painkiller - she said there is no point putting her under to try and stitch her up as not enough skin there to do it - I have more painkillers and abs to give tomorrow then back on thurs and instructions on how to lush her wound. She has a dressing on as was trying to peck of the cream so will fashion her a collar too!

I feel absolutely awful that I did totally the wrong thing by forcing her out whilst she was broody (
She is safe in the shed tonight but I have no idea if I can bare to put her back in with them even when she is better. Heartbroken

poohbear59

Rachbc. It all sounds terrible. I hope your poor hen survives such a nasty injury. Are you keeping her completely separate from the others now?
It is not your fault. Who knows what goes on in their brains sometimes. We have had hens for 10 years and though most of the time things run smoothly we have occasionally had a bad injury.

The hens we have now were a group of rescue hens who all pecked at and injured one of the flock. I let her live in my back porch until she was better, for weeks afterwards. She eventually went out with the others. They still peck at her but she lives mainly separately from the others. Every morning she has her fill of food then legs it around to the front garden where she lays her egg. If it rains she taps on the door or window to be let in.

Many years ago when we first started out with hens we got a cockerel and put him in with the girls. How wrong we were to do it. In the morning the girls were on top of him. He was dead.

rachbc

She is totally seperate for now - living in the shed (would have her in the house but we got 2 kittens a fortnight ago) I have read that she should be seperate but where they can still see so reintroduction is easier so need to give some thought to how I can do that. I will keep her apart unless they are in the garden and I am around til she is healed - she is very jumpy but enjoying gentle strokes from my dd

susyrosy

I have only one rescue hen surviving out of three. She is determined to be a house hen - in my sitting room at the moment chirring to herself - and comes in whenever any door is left open. The other three hens (bantams) come and go, but don't want to stay. I just wish I could house train her - it's very sweet to have a visiting chicken.

PS I've just played the sound of roosters crowing to Rose - she pricked up her ears and looked intrigued. Given she lives with girls, and before that in a battery cage, I'm surprised she recognised the sound. Yes, yes, I know I'm interpreting for her, but she really did look as if she knew it was the sound of poultry.

3v3

rachbc wrote: »

oh my i feel absolutely terrible - this morning after all 3 hens had laid I shut broody out of the house so all three were in the run all day today - came home from work to find the feeder and drinker strewn around the run and cinderella chicken with blood on her head (she is white so noticed straight away) and though broody may have got grump with her - let them out into the garden for a roam and opened house up too. Broody didn;t come out so opened nest box to turf her out to see a huge wound on her back - about 3 inches of feathers gone and a huge area o skin totally missing - I could see something pulsing and her bones. I nearly fainted it was so horrific - rushed her to the vet who dosed her on antibiotics and painkiller - she said there is no point putting her under to try and stitch her up as not enough skin there to do it - I have more painkillers and abs to give tomorrow then back on thurs and instructions on how to lush her wound. She has a dressing on as was trying to peck of the cream so will fashion her a collar too!

I feel absolutely awful that I did totally the wrong thing by forcing her out whilst she was broody (
She is safe in the shed tonight but I have no idea if I can bare to put her back in with them even when she is better. Heartbroken

Aw rachbc, my heart goes out to you But, do not beat yourself up over this, each chook has its own personality and we cannot predict how they react to things. (I lost one of my babies - hatched from a broody - simply by mixing two groups into one; learned that some girls simply "give up" and it wasn't down to poor husbandry, neglect or ignorance on my part).

She *can* be integrated back to the flock (chickens are flock creatures and isolation is not their norm). I saw a "small dog crate" in a pet shop today and - depending on the size of the setup you have - you *could* put her in one of those, so they all still see one another, and then integrate her back over a period of time: e.g. let them free range for half hour or so together (under your watchful eye) then put them back in their run/crate and build up gradually.

The smallest dog crate I saw (albeit, just one shop ) was £25 - but, compared to vets bills/PTS, its all relative!

I cannot even begin to put my own head into that of a chicken ... but, I can't help wondering if she was frustrated at not being able to follow her broody instincts and it lead to a conflict?

All I *do* know is, when I have had a broody, I let them get on with it (or, seperate and buy either fertilised eggs, or rubber ones).

Don't be too harsh on yourself; your chooks are behaving instinctively, under their given circumstances/personalities.

Spare a thought to the size of their run space ... is it adequate for the number of girls you have? Consider how you will tackle future broody behaviour: will you crate/leave them to it/or seperate?

I've had a broody who refused to leave the nest ... but, the other girls still laid in the nest box I just had to be clever at removing the eggs daily!

I do hope your henny is ok and fully recovers. x

3v3

Quick thought ... do you have a pet carrier? Maybe that would suffice as a segregation /unit/ pit for her if placed in the run?

rachbc

she seems remarkably well today - just hope she doesn't get an infection. I let them all out in he garden to day but seperated by a net fence and they largely ignored her - she ruffled a bit when they did come close but didn't seem too freaked out . I think a pet carrier could be the way to go. Wish I had just left her in the nest now - think I will just leave her to it if she goes broody again as they did seem to be managing fine til I interfered - there are other nest boxes the others can use (though they do all tend to lay in the same one!!)