We have two dozen chickens. This morning when the boys went out to check on them and let them out of their run, the family favorite, “Trouble” was lying on the ground, clearly not well. (She was dubbed Trouble by the boys because she used to climb high in a cedar tree to roost every night rather than heading back into the coop with the rest of the flock, requiring Jonny and the boys to climb the tree with flashlights each night to “rescue” her.) For the most part our chickens are pretty feral. Trouble is the exception, the only one that behaves a bit like a pet, tolerating being carried around, and seeming to enjoy being in our company.
We have no experience with sick chickens, but in the back of my mind I am assuming a sick chicken will soon be a dead one. Thankfully she was rescued from the floor of the run before the other chickens pecked her too much. Her head is a bit beat up, and there is a small puncture in the bare area on her back (we have roosters so many of our hens have bald spots on their backs.) She won’t stand up, but is eating and alert. We have her separated and confined in our broody chicken run. Seth is pretty upset.
Any advice, thoughts, and prayers would be appreciated!
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