Is she worth saving?

[RosaJ]

We've had 10 hens (no roosters) for 3 years and have not really had any problems up until recently....

Yesterday, one of my Rhode Island Reds suddenly became lame yesterday. My 12-yr. old son who takes care of the chickens, found her laying on the coop floor with her wings spread out and not wanting to move. She had some blood on her (very large, floppy) comb. We tried to pick her up, but she refused to stand. Normally, she is very feisty, but she was very docile.

At first, I thought she might be egg bound and gave her a nice bath and tried to relax her. She never produced an egg.

We set her in a separate box, which she ended up tipping over & flopping around on the floor.

On closer examination, I believe she may have a serious case of bumble foot. Before you judge to harshly on my neglect, please understand that it has been raining almost every other day for the past month or two, so the run is always muddy. (how do you tell the difference between muddy/poopy feet and bumble foot?!) In any case, I'm pretty well convinced that she has a bad case of bumble foot, likely in both feet.

She did manage to flutter around enough to move around the coop a little & even managed to make her way outside into the run, but she really doesn't like to stand and collapses instead. She just kinda flops around and then falls onto her side. I tried to get her to eat or drink and she's not at all interested. Not sure about her poop.

Also, I'm not sure that she's a laying hen. Her comb is whitish & dull, the tip of her beak is yellow, as are her feet (see photo).

Another thing, if I were to do "surgery" on her foot, I'm concerned about the care of it as we are leaving town for 1.5 weeks. (someone will come to feed & water them while we're away) I'm not willing to take her to a vet or put any more money into her. I'm sorry if that sounds heartless, but it's true.

First of all, does this look like a doable DIY job? Does she seem like she's past her laying years? Would she be ok on a well-dressed bandage for 1.5 weeks? What are signs that the infection has spread into her body? (I've read that it could happen??)
Honestly, is she worth trying to save? (I feel like she isn't, but I've having trouble making that decision)
TIA!

 

[azygous]

Of course, she's worth saving. However, you need to make the call, not us.

First of all, she sounds very sick. That foot looks terribly infected and yes, the infection is probably systemic by now. To treat her will require daily attention - daily foot soaks and wound dressing, and administering an oral antibiotic daily over the next couple weeks, at least.

Your decision to euthanize your hen will include not only your assessment of how sick and how much suffering she's in, but also whether you have the time and commitment to treating her.

 

[RosaJ]

Of course, she's worth saving. However, you need to make the call, not us.

First of all, she sounds very sick. That foot looks terribly infected and yes, the infection is probably systemic by now. To treat her will require daily attention - daily foot soaks and wound dressing, and administering an oral antibiotic daily over the next couple weeks, at least.

Your decision to euthanize your hen will include not only your assessment of how sick and how much suffering she's in, but also whether you have the time and commitment to treating her.

Ok, thank you! That's pretty much what I was thinking. I feel awful that we didn't catch it sooner, but she showed no signs of any problem until it was suddenly severe.

 

[Mraya]

Yes you have to make the call.

 

[rebrascora]

Whether she is worth saving comes down to your emotional attachment to her. From a purely financial point of view, it is not worth trying to fix her. Her best laying days are over and she could probably be replaced by a point of lay pullet probably cheaper than what you will pay for dressings and antibiotics. That said, if keeping back yard chickens was done purely for economic reasons then the majority of us would not bother because it is far cheaper to buy factory farmed eggs.

Is she fixable?.... possibly.... not eating is always a bad sign.

Do you have the time and will to fix her? ..... possibly not from what you have said about going away etc.

Is she in a lot of pain?..... almost certainly. She will continue to be in pain for some time afterwards too even if surgery is successful.

Can you end her suffering quickly and competently if you decide to? ....that might be another consideration. If it is going to cost you for a vets visit to euthanize her, then it might be more economical to try to fix her.

In the mean time a chicken sling or hammock might help make her more comfortable. Below is an example made from everyday items. The birds legs go through the holes and it is adjusted so that her feet just touch the bottom but do no bear weight. A third hole can be cut under her vent for poop to drop through or the fabric can be folded back so that her vent overhangs and poop drops clear. An additional strip of cloth can be clipped over the bird to keep her secure and food and water pots can be clipped to the front of the box within reach for her...

 

[RosaJ]

Whether she is worth saving comes down to your emotional attachment to her. From a purely financial point of view, it is not worth trying to fix her. Her best laying days are over and she could probably be replaced by a point of lay pullet probably cheaper than what you will pay for dressings and antibiotics. That said, if keeping back yard chickens was done purely for economic reasons then the majority of us would not bother because it is far cheaper to buy factory farmed eggs.

Is she fixable?.... possibly.... not eating is always a bad sign.

Do you have the time and will to fix her? ..... possibly not from what you have said about going away etc.

Is she in a lot of pain?..... almost certainly. She will continue to be in pain for some time afterwards too even if surgery is successful.

Can you end her suffering quickly and competently if you decide to? ....that might be another consideration. If it is going to cost you for a vets visit to euthanize her, then it might be more economical to try to fix her.

In the mean time a chicken sling or hammock might help make her more comfortable. Below is an example made from everyday items. The birds legs go through the holes and it is adjusted so that her feet just touch the bottom but do no bear weight. A third hole can be cut under her vent for poop to drop through or the fabric can be folded back so that her vent overhangs and poop drops clear. An additional strip of cloth can be clipped over the bird to keep her secure and food and water pots can be clipped to the front of the box within reach for her...
View attachment 1356379

Thanks for the helpful reply! (Love the chicken hammock! ) I will likely end up just having my husband put her down.

 

[rebrascora]

I haven't voted I'm afraid. Personally I would probably try to fix her if it was me, but I am the sort of person who likes to fix things and I love my chickens. If she is not eating then she may be too far gone.... it depends if she is not eating because she is stressed about being brought in away from her pals and put in a box or because her system is being poisoned by an infection or because her pals saw her weakness and set upon her, causing the comb injury and she is in shock.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

You have to make the call. You might want to call the vet. If the hen is in too much pain and/or the vet can’t help or it’s too expensive then you might want to end her suffering. If she can be helped then obviously you help her

 

[RodNTN]

Personally, I would treat her for a week or so and see if she makes any improvements. If she doesn't improve or gets worse, I would end her misery

 

[Ducksandchickens]

Exactly. Try your best but If you need to put her down then do so. Sorry