Making safe coops, learn from my mistake!!!

[BelovedBirds]

So as some may know I recently upgraded my ducks coop, using a playhouse/small shed, which has worked tremendously and saved me hundreds of pounds. While modifying this to make it suitable, I thought that the only issue with a low vent/window is the drafts that could come through, and or predators scaring the birds by snooping about.

Now, neither is really an issue for me, the vents are large and a little low, but are facing any from any potential winds. It is placed inside of a predator proofed pen, with a fence on one side and two buildings basically on two other sides. Due to position I just wasn't worried. I figured come winter I'll change them slightly and just make them a little smaller, little higher. But at least for summer they worked great to keep the coop cool and airy. Turns out what I should've been concerned about was neither cold drafts nor predators, it was having the wire too low and accessible to the ducks.

This morning while filling my ducks food and water buckets, Sprightly became impatient and jumped up at the mesh window, I didn't see it happen, but when I came back I saw only her foot and leg in the window, caught in the wire somehow. She was hanging upside down by her foot. I opened the door and her head was on the floor, she looked up at me clearly very shocked, her leg was at a somewhat unnatural angle from her body and she just about gave me a heart attack thinking she'd broken her leg.

I freed her very quickly and checked for injury, none visible. She seemed okay as she made her way to the food bucket but an hour later there was heat in the leg and she was holding it up a lot reluctant to put weight on it. I've done a nice cold bath for her and she seemed to enjoy the soak, seems a little happier to walk on it now. Seems like she has a sprain, doesn't seem too severe so far but if she continues to show signs of pain I will give her a small dose of meloxicam, worse case scenario she may find herself on cage rest, but I'm confident nothing is torn or broken. It is lucky that I was there, could've been much worse.

Photo of the evil window in question:

So to anyone planning a coop or considering converting a playhouse, definitely make sure that you don't leave the windows too low. I'll be rethinking my life choices and get those vents modified ASAP so that this can't happen again. (Not that I'm certain how her foot was even stuck! Bizarre)
Just one of those many mistakes I've made in my duck keeping journey, hopefully this can help someone to avoid making the same bad choices! I feel like a terrible person for not just remaking those vents to start with!

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is a pretty good jump for her right? I could see my Muscovy doing something like that but not my others. But who knows what one might do. I'm happy to hear she may only have a small sprain. Bless her heart.

 

[BelovedBirds]

That is a pretty good jump for her right? I could see my Muscovy doing something like that but not my others. But who knows what one might do. I'm happy to hear she may only have a small sprain. Bless her heart.

A pretty high jump indeed, she must have flown up at it and hooked her claws through the bars, thus having her foot stuck with her claws poking through. Not totally sure how her foot was caught so securely that she hung there... but it was certainly frightening for her, and for me! I certainly wasn't mentally prepared to see her hanging there like that.
The good news is that since this morning she is doing better, just a slight limp, but no longer holding her foot up. I think she'll be just fine by tomorrow.

I hope she will have learned not to do this, but Sprightly isn't the cleverest cookie, so I will assume that she will and make sure it isn't possible to get stuck on that wire. I need to find something to block the bottom half of that window off, for now.

I don't think Dougie has ever tried to jump up at the window, I think its only Sprightly who has done this, but I won't take the chance- Ducks are not very safety conscious! Bless them.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Sprightly seems back to herself today! No signs of a sprain, so perhaps her muscles just felt a little strained after the incident, understandable.

She sure was feeling unsettled yesterday, before bed she came up to me, I was kneeling on the ground petting her, and she jumped up at me so I embraced her and gave her some kisses, and she just settled into the cuddle and got all sleepy. She's always been more into hugs than Dougie, but she doesn't usually request them like that, sweet angel. She's back to her sassy self today, bossing me around as usual!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Great news that she is back to her bossy self . How sweet about the hugs and some kisses.