Chicken Nurse
Two weeks ago the temperature dipped to -35 degrees with a -46 windchill. After that weekend Peaches (chicken) was showing signs of stress which worsened quickly to where she was walking like a penguin with a swollen abdomen - a usual sign of being egg bound and unfortunately a death within two days. Now two weeks later she seems to have recovered, which likely means her issue was something else.
Naturally a sick chicken is shunned and often attacked by
the rest of the flock. This is part of
the pecking order. Chickens have a
strong social structure and this is where the term 'pecking order' comes from as
chickens peck at each other to determine ranking. For example, the chickens higher in the
pecking order sleep on the highest roost bar and get to eat first. Separating a sick chicken is an important
first step so they don’t get attacked by the rest of the flock, but since they
are also social animals a lonely chicken can get depressed. I kept Peaches in a pet carrier in the
henhouse with a heat pad she could sit on for warmth, only taking her into the
basement on one really cold night. By
keeping her in the henhouse she could see and hear the others. She got a spa treatment which consisted of a
warm epsom salt bath which served to try to relax her to get things moving
inside and to clean her up. Most
importantly she got a good boost of protein, vitamins and electrolytes.
Next Peaches will have to establish herself again in the
pecking order. Goldie in particular was quite
aggressive with her. Hopefully things
will work out since they all need each other to keep warm for the rest of the
winter. It is important to respect the
hierarchy in order to keep the flock happy.
Comments
Post a Comment