Please help!!I was driving to work yesterday morning when I saw a chicken about 2 ft. from the side of the road. It was just laying there but I saw that it was looking around, obviously alive and injured. I live in the country and it just broke my heart to think that with the amount of dogs around and temps near 28 that she would surely suffer long and die painfully. So, I picked her up and took to my house. She has some scraps but nothing really bad. I noticed that her underbelly was almost raw and she smelled really bad like feces. She appears to be from a chicken farm and perhaps fell off the truck (???). She is very plump and standard white chicken. I put her in my bathtub on some old towels and cranked up the heat. I got some chicken feed from the store and water; She is eating and drinking great. Here is the thing though...She won't stand up. She doesn't sit like normal chickens. Her feet are situated out in front of her at all times. I didn't know if maybe she was raised in a cage her whole life....and hasn't stood up since. When I pick her up to clean the tub out then she doesn't act like I'm hurting her (like a broken pelvis) and she flexs her legs alot. I don't know what to do and really need some (any) advice on this. I'm not opposed to cleaning out my chicken pen and getting her some friends but what kind of quality of life would she have if she can't walk.
Thank you for your time.
Help! I found a injured chicken and don't know what to do!!
hey cavekrissy,
I'm not hugely knowledgeable about chickens yet, but that sounds like a meat chicken. You say, she's plump... just how plump? Unfortunately, I've read about cornish crosses just no longer being able to walk from their size. They are bred to big fast so that they can be killed and on the table while maintaining the amount of feed invested in them.
That is great that you grabbed her. I would totally do the same thing. Do you have a cage or a dog crate you can keep her in until you figure out what's going on with her?
Hi
Unfortunately ,chickens who are bred for a cross breed meat get so fat so quickly their legs break terminally ,and are in constant pain.
They often have no chose but to lay in there own and others feceas ,giving them selves amonia burns that is why her underside is raw also check if her legs are showing raw red burns.
Im sorry but I think you should take your chicken to vet and put her down unless your vet recomends other treat ments.
Meanwhile wash her and keep her clean and rub diaper rash cream on her sores. Hopefully this will soothe and maybe heal her sores.
I think it is just the greatest thing that you picked her up but it is shame she is probably a a meat chicken.
Hope that the vet has other Ideas
Bye
See also look up "Live fast die Young- the life of a meat chicken" on youtube
PS dont watch too far ,it is sad
i would have snagged her up too in a heartbeat but i must tell ya from the sounds of it she is a broiler breed. usually broilers don't live past a year mabe 2 most if raised as pets and usually die from sever problems such as broken legs, water belly, heart failure and probs with major organs. with the cross breed it takes to make them they honestly r only bred to make meat and not made to survive which i think is very cruel and wrong.
i agree with everything they wrote above if it was me and i knew for sure she was a broiler and that bad already i'd honestly cull her to save both of us the pain and attachment before it was too late. if she is not a broiler she maybe able to be saved depending on what is wrong but if she fell of a truck or whatever she may even have internal damages not seeable. i know that is not what u r wanting to hear but i've raised chickens hanicapped that could not walk and honestly it was selfish of me to save them and it was show stock not broilers which had no wheres near the same probs. they r pets now and retired from show but had to go to forever homes that required full time care of them. it honestly is not a life for a chicken or any animal who can only just sit and eat, get fatter and get sores and worse health problems contnue to come.
JMHO but if she is a broiler she is already in tremendous pain and suffering and she will only get worse why put her through all that?
silkie
I agree and silkie thanks for saying what you did we have to think with our heads and not our hearts at times where our birds are concerned.
It was a great and selfless act picking up that chicken you have a very kind heart thank you from a lady who gets turtle out of the road :o)
That is so sad. I too think it was so nice of you to pick her up. Even if she doesn't make it, she got love from a human... something she probably never had. You are a kind person.
Poor chick! And poor you, having to make such a decision. If there were more people like you, there would be fewer chickens in trouble. Sending you (and the hen) good vibes. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{chicken hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Thanks for all the information. She is very plump and looks to me like a meat chicken. I will run her up to the vet today to see if there is anything that can be done, if not then I will do the most humane thing and put her to sleep.
The right thing to do.
My thoughts are with you and your lil'plump chicken.
{{{{{{{more chicken hugs!!!}}}}}}}}}
It may be against your heart but i think you have to do what you gotta do for this hen. Its the best for her.
May she be forever loved in heaven
caverkrissy,
I have 2 just like you have. when I first got them they could hardly stand either. give it a few weeks of being able to walk around and a good clean environment and it will develop some muscle tone and be able to waddle around just fine. My two were in the middle of the road in the last hurricane that came thru alabama. they were about 5 weeks old and are now about 5 months old and weigh about 15lbs a piece. they look like turkeys they are so big. yours is literally a baby. when I first got mine they still peeped like babies, but they were about 5 lbs each. crazy. hope this helps, just give it good food and fresh water and a warm dry place to be and it will be fine.
Oh Inn,
Where have you been? [**wink, wink** I just remembered how busy your life is!]
I sure hope she gets this before she has made a decision. It may give her some hope...
I hope she gets this too. my turkey chickens(that's what I call the monsters) get around just fine. It took them a while before they were able to motivate normally. In those big production houses, they don't have room to move much. they find a safe spot where no one is picking on them and there they stay.They also grow so rapidly that it's hard for their muscles to keep up. in a normal environment, they will turn out just fine.
Do you have to monitor how much they are eating?
I try not too, but I do watch it a little. I will take a picture of them with my other chickens to let you see how huge they are at 5 months old.
anybody heard if cavekrissy kept her jumper bird? I am curious.