[ellied]

Thought I'd found a dead hen on Saturday afternoon, lying on the paving slab path beside the hay barn.  Realised she wasn't gone but quite shocky and lying sprawled across her right wing, feet out to the side, I had been out so not sure but there are gaps between the bales that I think some are going into and whether she'd taken a bad jump up/down or what I don't know, but she still seemed to have a bit of life in when I went to pick her up so I popped her in a wee run on a straw bed propped up with food and water and she was eating immediately so I thought worth giving her a chance and left her in overnight.

Next morning she'd got herself in the same guddle further down the wee run and again I thought she was a goner but again she was happy to eat once propped up so I didn't like to call it quits on her tho I didn't fancy her chances.  I don't think the wing is broken, tho I could be wrong, but she clearly didn't have control over pulling it up into place and was falling over it and getting stuck, so I loosely wrapped a luminous orange vetwrap round it and under the other wing, trying to leave space for legs and crop and lung movement etc, and again gave her the chance as she was now eating and drinking. 

This morning she was up on 2 feet when I expected a dead hen or a half strangled one at least.. so I'm hoping it is just a sprain and that not tangling up feet in feathers might get her back to health and maybe the wing can sort itself out in time.  I'm not sure I shouldn't have culled her but I'm the person that has a one legged pullet now about 23 weeks, and I also lost a young pony a week ago and am caught between giving up too soon and hanging on too long and not knowing which is what so I am just taking it a night at a time and the fact she was standing and is eating means I can't give up right now.

So, any thoughts about how long to leave the vetwrap on?  Including changes when needed of course, just wing healing time if anyone has had one and got it back to full use.  The hen is a RIR, one of the 3 remaining of my first 4 pullets so about 3 years old and usually a good layer tho she wasn't in lay at the time of the accident.

[jaykay]

Ellie, what you're describing could be Mareks rather than physical damage.

If it is, the bird wastes away, gets the runs and then dies - can take a while.

If she has just hurt it, a few days should help. I have bandaged broken wings, which have mended in a week to 10 days and been functional again.

[ellied]

I thought Marek's was a disease of young birds for some reason, she's over 3 years old     I hope it isn't anything contagious to other stock  I just assumed it was an injury from where she was and the apparent problem. 

My hens are all free range apart from the one legged one and her pen is in among where they go, is there anything I can do or just wait to see if she improves or they start falling over?     I think I've read Mareks has no cure and is 80% fatality rate, I could do without that kind of follow up to last week's tragedy.. 

Where would they get it from given there have not been new stock arrivals in months - is it passed by wild birds?  I am now wondering about the cats eating those birds, the ponies on the pasture the hens are now given to wander into, links between the pony death and the sick hen, even whether there's an impact on people..  Did I mention I suffer chronic anxiety? 

[doganjo]

Ellie!  Your vet would have been able to tell you what was wrong with the pony surely?  I doubt it's Mareks - that causes lesions, lumps and bumps, and complete paralysis of limbs  i thought - not staved or broken wings. I don't think the hen would still be eating and drinking so well. And according to Wiki teh age of catching the disease is 4 to 6 weeks!

Have you done the other things we agreed on?  I've had my car checked and Belle has had her operation, so with my own MOT completed we're good for a wee while

[jaykay]

Sorry Ellie, didn't mean to panic you.

I get the occasional hen with it, often 2-3 years old, perhaps once every couple of years.  The rest don't go down with it. They start with a wing sticking out, not able to use it and then sometimes both wings and their legs. Actually I think someone said it might be lymphoid leukosis, which looks a lot like Mareks but tends to affect single birds more.

I don't know where it comes from or why one gets it and the rest don't.

  yours has just hurt herself somehow and will mend quickly,

[chrismahon]

One wing sounds like an injury to me and as said supported for a week to 10 days should resolve itself. Presumably it has full movement in it?


We did have a hen that used to drop her wings every so often for a few days or even a week and then they would return to normal -no idea why but she was a happy little sole and laid well throughout.

[ellied]

Thanks.  I left the bandage on a week and took it off yesterday morning, kept her separate a further 24 hours but she seemed to be holding it in the right place so I've let her out today.  Fingers crossed, the rest are driving her off but as free range she has space to move away and she's definitely happier out. 

Meantime the rest have crowded into her wee run to dig among the straw for leftover grain/pellets she might have missed 

I'll be checking her regularly to see she is upright and mobile today but it looks more hopeful - and a bit tatty as I have clipped a bit of wing feather when removing the vetwrap     It's now 9 days from the injury and I've not seen her spread the wing yet but as long as she can keep it in place and not trip over it I'm happy enough.

[chrismahon]

Good news Ellied. I agree with you, that flapping isn't important so long as she doesn't trip over it.