Chicken bald back

[mollyripkim]

Am feeling really upset as I have three broody girls at the moment who had been shut out of the cube house to FR but Henrietta wanted to lay an egg so I opened the hatch and in the mad dash of the broodies to get in they pushed Henrietta off of the ladder and she has hurt her wing, she can't seem to fold it against her body and tried to stretch but that didn't work either, now I am really worried she has broken it.

Have a vets appointment for 6.10 today but they admitted the vet hadn't seen a chicken before but hopefully bird ananomty is similiar.

I could cry at the moment, she is such a feisty girl and I know shouldn't have favorites but she is!

Any advice would be appreciated before I see the vet in case someone has had anything similiar.

Many thanks.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Guest

[Luvachicken]

Sorry I don't have any advice but I hope the vet will make her feel better xx

[majuka]

Fingers crossed that your appointment goes well and Henrietta is on the mend very soon.

[mollyripkim]

Thank you both, I am so worried as she is all hunched up now although took some corn from me so that must be good.

[mollyripkim]

Just back from vet without Henrietta, wing is broken, she is going to have an xray and then I have to make a decision. Vet turned out to have her own chickens and said she would put her to sleep so now I am torn, the options are:

1. Bandage if break is not too severe and give her painkillers.

2. Put in pins - cost around £200 - although I would pay it.

3. Amputate - cost around £50.

 

Really need some advice as don't know what to do for the best. I don't want her to suffer but don't want to lose her either. In any case she would need to be kept separate for several weeks (I have separate house and run) but if they amputate she probably wouldn't manage the cube ladder and I know its not right to keep her separate forever.

 

Rang breeder and general feeling is that unless strapping is an option then it would be kinder to let her go as both are big operations but she is only just over a year old. Breeder is having them in two weeks time as we are on holiday but she is happy to do whatever needs doing.

 

Please let me know what you all think, I'm so upset but know I have to do the right thing for her whether that is PTS or the operation?

[Egluntyne]

I agree with the breeder.

 

Sorry you are having this difficult decision to make.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

What a shame . If amputation is the only option, I suppose you have to consider how big an op it is and is it fair to put her through it and also what would her quality of life be afterwards if she couldn't get around as well as before.

 

I hope you can make a decision, not an easy one at all but you'll be doing it for the right reasons, whichever way you decide .

[Olly]

I'm so sorry to hear this. I'd agree with the breeder - the stress of a major op could be significant, apart from anything else. It's a hard decision to make though.

[Chucky Mama]

Hmm, difficult decision. For me it would depend how far up the wing would be amputated. If they are going to take it off quite low down where there is little tissue it would be quite a quick op carrying the usual risk of anesthesia in birds. If it is high up around the 'arm pit' area, surgery would be more involved and I personally would not have done. It is much more traumatic and I wouldn't put a hen of mine through it. So, for me if the wing is broken low down and I could afford it, I'd do it. If it is high up I wouldn't.

[mollyripkim]

Thank you all so much for all your thoughts and help, really helped me to clarify what I was going to do.

Anyway vet called this evening to say xray didn't show a major break although that doesn't mean there isn't one and only completely putting her out for more detailed xrays would show but as there isn't an obvious break in a long bone then she was happy to try the bandaging option to see how she gets on.

I have her home in a separate run but unfortunately she immediately managed to get the tape off so we have carefully retaped it and put her to bed. The vet said she will be unbalanced, which she is, and I will need to keep her on her own for a couple of weeks. She has had painkillers and I can get more if I feel she needs them but she thinks that with the wing immobile it won't be so painful.

 

So I feel lucky that she has this chance and hopefully it will heal on its own, I guess the next few days will tell, must say the vet was very sweet and understood that she was a much loved pet!

 

Can't remember the name of the drops that you can give to perk chickens up? Wondered if they might be a good thing to get for her as she is so stressed.

 

But thank you everybody for your kind thoughts and suggestions, it really does help.

[Olly]

Glad to hear your update. Is it Citricidal you're thinking of? Or I believe some people give their hens Rescue Remedy.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I'm so glad, that sounds much more hopeful .

 

Nutridrops, perhaps? I've not used them, it was just a name that occurred to me!

[Luvachicken]

Yay, I'm glad it sounds like good news for your girl and I hope she continues to do well.

How cool to find such a good vet too.

[mollyripkim]

Yes, I think its Nutridrops, I saw them in our local country shop so will get her some in the morning.

Feel so much happier she is home but have a headache from getting upset!!

[majuka]

Bless her, poor girl. I've no experience of broken wings so I'll leave that to someone more experienced. I don't have a cube so not overly familiar with the layout but is there any way the ladder can be adapted, maybe filled in or made wider so that it is easier for Henrietta to negotiate?

[mollyripkim]

Yes we did have an extra wooden trellis ladder before so I have asked hubby to put it back on tomorrow, firstly to make it easier for the others and Henrietta when she goes back. I don't think it would have prevented the accident though, it was just a mad scramble to get into the cube.

[scarlettohara]

Falkor on here regularly straps ex-bats wings up and they usually recover or learn to cope with the damage. Don't beat yourself up about the ladder - I found my bluebelle at the bottom a few weeks ago and she turned out to have a really bad break to her leg. I had her pts on my vet's advice - as he always does his best for my girls I knew it was the right decision. However I would definately try to get a wing to heal, let us know how she gets on

[mollyripkim]

Thanks scarletohara, that makes me feel better if someone has had success strapping a wing, she is all strapped up and it doesn't seem to be bothering her, in fact the vet told us to keep her separate and quiet for three weeks but the first morning she spent rushing up and down the small run she was in and squarking her head off. We decided it would be less stressful to her to be with the others so let her out, the others don't seem to have noticed and certainly not picking on her, she is top hen. I kept an eye intending lift her into bed but she beat me to it and is managing the cube ladder fine with one wing.

Racheal at hamble poultry has been great as she is having them soon for their holiday and said she would do whatever was needed which was sweet.

Does anyone know how long you keep them strapped for, also thinking it's going to be really hard to get the sticky tape off her feathers!

[mollyripkim]

Sorry scarletohara, meant to say really sorry about your bluebelle, that was really sad.

[scarlettohara]

PM Falkor and ask her about strapping wing - I'm sure she will have lots of advice. And if you need to buy more vetwrap - it's much cheaper online or from horse supply shops than the vet ! (I have loads in my horse first aid box - some with pink hearts on ). I did wonder whether to ask my vet to splint my bluebelle but with only 2 legs thought it was unfair to put her through the trauma if it didn't work

 

I have been speaking to Racheal this week too as one of my silkie girls turned into a boy overnight, she has offered to swap him but we are going to try him in with my pekin cockerel at night (in the in the shed) when he starts crowing. They freerange together anyway and Freckles has never shown any agression towards him

[mollyripkim]

Thanks Scarlettohara I will do that, good idea about the vet wrap too. Hope your silkie boy gets on ok, one of mine turned out to be a boy as well, shame as he was a lovely cuckoo, but we have very close neighbours, lovely but they already think I am a bit mad with my collection of animals Roll on lottery win when I can add donkeys and ducks!

[gongladosh]

let us know how she gets on!!

[mollyripkim]

Just thought I would update on Henrietta - today I noticed she was making herself sore trying to pull the bandage off so rang vet who advised removing it and see what happened. I did with help from hubby as it was sticky, put her down and she had a lovely stretch of both wings then proceeded to groom for what seemed like ages and then had a lovely dust bath! The wing seems in a normal position so I am really relieved and glad we tried it. They are going on their hen holiday tomorrow so I feel better leaving her now.

Thanks for all your help and advice.

[Olly]

That's great news, thanks - and have a lovely holiday, bet you'll feel better about going away with that news.

[gongladosh]

that's good to hear