How much should you isolate chickens with injuries?

This morning after cleaning up

First of all, checking online and in my book, chickens apparently have astonishing, almost miraculous ability to heal from even grave physical injuries, contrary to actual illness and infection.
So yesterday one of my 10 week old Buff Catalana pullets somehow (and God only knows how) got into the orchard rooster only area. It was calling with the distress chirp and I found it, then it hid and I retrieved it. While it looked ok, I was totally taken aback when it bent its neck: the entire length of neck muscles and other structures lay bare. OMG. I still cannot believe it and even if I took a photo, it would need a big warning for graphic image.

Unbelievably had been running  and chirping though and, once I got it into a medium size dog crate, it took treats eagerly (thank goodness). I added a heat lamp in front of the crate because I had read that optimum temperature for a sick bird is 80-85 degrees. I probably did not get that, but at least it was not THAT cold. Taking her into the house was not an option for me -and - it would have put her in a strange environment and might have stressed her out.

So then it came time to roost for the night and she obviously got stressed out not being able to join the others. I had the crate inside in the coop, but that was not enough. The chicky literally STOOD there all night, at least every time I checked. I felt right about adding some warmth via the heat lamp, safely hung, and I even filled bottles with hot water --- and put it into a sock ...for a warm body substitute. But still I could not help thinking it would rather have roosted with rest of them.

So it got me thinking -  under no circumstances would you want ANY chicken even peck at the injury once, at the same time, stress hinders healing. Birds, at least chickens, are VERY social animals and want to move with and stay with the flock ...otherwise, sooner or later, they get stressed out.

So it made it through the night alive, still taking treats ...... so far so good. I could not bring myself to even look at the atrocious injury.
I didn't apply any salves or creams or dressing and I was not set up for suturing. I didn't know it then, but I didn't need any of that.

The next day, to start with, I decided to keep the 15 Buff Catalanas all in the coop for a while....after letting out the older flock, just to keep the chick company. When i went in at lunchtime, the baby had settled down finally inside the crate and some chickens were lying around the crate, one "sunbathing" in the warmth of the brooder lamp that I had re-hung.

She was even drinking water once I got it all cleaned up

I had brought more treats, high protein and nutrient rich treats it learned to like (eggs, meat), plus crumble dust and very overcooked broccoli and zucchini (for added fluid).

I fed this in front of the crate door and the willingness of the other chickens to really go for the treats certainly helps with food intake. (I actually had to put most of the  treats elsewhere  to keep it somewhat controlled in front of the crate :)

All was well - and little chicky settled down again on a fresh bed of straw. A little later I decided to let the others go outside and into the coop run for a little outing. That was when little chicky got upset, pacing and chirping inside the crate, wanting to join the flock ...... ...so I coaxed a couple of chicks back inside the coop and closed the door. After a littel while, things settled down for the 3 of them.

So: YES, isolate right away for healing so re-injury cannot happen. It seems to be a natural instinct to eliminate obviously injured birds from the flock - and they will literally peck it to death if it acts at all sick or has visible woulds. - and NO,  if possible, don't separate the injured chick from the flock as it will stress out the bird. Extra warmth will also help.

Of course if you chicken is used to being in a crate inside your house, that is a different situation.

If you don't have a dog crate, maybe you have some other box or cage which can at least be partially darkened to help with resting. 

(Illness with risk of contamination may be is a different story, talking just about physical injury) This is my observation, and of course, we all just do the best we can under any given circumstance.

It seems to be though that even if it were to die - it would rather die not alone somewhere. In any case, the time this little chick got upset was when the flock moved on and it could not be with them as it was locked inside the crate. Here it had settled down again, though you can barely see her in there, with one of her flock-mates sunbathing under the brooder light. Keeping my finger crossed, praying and running karma wash orbs for the little girl - I named her Harriet. She still seems to have some trouble breathing - like if you were trying to breathe through a clogged up nose. It is possible that one of the nerves that runs along the neck got injured.

ADDENDUM: She was in there for a few weeks and then afterwards I gradually let her back out ...she was quite out of breath at first, but basically she healed well and got back with the flock after a few weeks. Since the others could always see her, I didn't have to go through a real reintegration, but I did transition by making a separate roost and section in the coop where she roosted for a week with a couple of others before she was free to go where she wanted.

I had another chick that got pecked on the head by a rooster and had a bad blood blister .... she seemed ok after a couple of days of isolation and when I could not longer see the reddish blister - she rejoined the flock.

Baby chicken got hurt

Tonight I am just tired and it is  mainly from an emotional toll. So this may or may not make sense.

She is in there - my attempt to keep her in the coop as well as somewhat warm

I had to go with someone to bring a dog to the vet this afternoon, and I got to the chickens late, not till 4 pm., which really isn't a big deal. Except today when i got into the run, I heard baby chirps from the rooster side of the baby run area wall. There really isn't a way from the pullet babies to get there and I thought one of the baby roos, (and they are all 9 weeks old now) had strayed ...I opened the door to the orchard run and a buff was trying to get through the barrier, then hid. I got it from there, the 4 orchard roos looking on. The baby buff seemed ok, UNTIL she bent her neck .OMG ...all open to the muscles ...the entire neck exposed. So I isolate it in a dog crate inside the coop. I feed it some mesh, eggs and chicken. And it eats with good appetite. She gets chirpy when all her siblings go to roost and she has to stay there. I heat up water, put it in a bottle and that into an old sock ...and put it next to her ...but she wasn't fooled. Later on I decide to dig out the heat lamp thinking it might help  to not be so cold ....despite the light, but it is the red kind. At that time, she eats crumble but I also see that there is some issue with breathing.
I have some antibiotics, but she refuses the overcooked veggie it it on ...
After reading up on things ...if i had the means, suturing and antibiotics might be of benefit, but then, chickens have amazing self healing abilities from physical injury. So here I am, hoping for the best.

But it is taking a toll - as I see myself unable to focus on work I have to do. It won't get done. I don't know which rooster is so rough on the babies, or how she even got out. I got  straight runs with a total of 54 chickens and have 34 be male - that posed a lot of management issues on the time and space.
But getting a sexed run would have meant the baby males had to be killed ...never a chance for a life worth calling it.

I recall: 27 chicks the first run, 1 died at 3 days. (post pasting). Of the 26, 9 are hens, the rest roosters. Of the 8 living in the orchard, 4 got gotten by predators (they were out there early, having roosted in the trees, which they since stopped doing). Of the mixed group, I had to go through deciding who needed to go and then the process of culling them. This was November 20. They were just 6 months old.. HORRIBLE to take the life of such a beautiful creature, but the orchard roos were all chasing the Golden Polish and those 2 in turn were making live difficult for the hens and their brothers. ...all the while just being roosters. My only consolation at this point is: they had a good rooster life, having done what a rooster does, they were seen and loved, served as food for folks who could never afford such a chicken and taught me big lessons. Then One of the baby buff males died ....I think neck injury too, this was about 2 weeks ago - but I don't know who did it. And today this one ...a pullet. She might still make it ...but it is taking a toll.....

It is difficult have so many roosters for the space and for the females. I am by now convinced that given enough space ...and more equitable rooster to hen ratio, that they will all arrange themselves one way or the other.

I don't know how it happened. There were some grey feathers there too ...and non of the orchard roos is grey. If i knew who did it - he'd have to go, but i can't get myself to cull them all ....but maybe that would be better ....?

I just want them to get out in the morning to forage and all get long. Let them out in the morning - feed them. Let them in at roost time - collect some eggs in between. Let them  walk around with me -...I love observing them. I know they don't like to be alone - which is why I put the dog crate inside the coop ...and I will be feeding the young ones right around the dog crate. The plan is to keep them inside the coop for a day....

I don't know why but it affects me so much when they are sick or distressed or seeing them dead - not compatible with being a farmer for sure, but then, I'm a chicken gardener and vegetarian and....


...  it is so hard for me. I LOVE these chickens. I adore them, the way they move and talk and look and I am amazed at their social structure, curiosity, ability to learn. There is a lesson here about the preciousness and uniqueness, about the purpose for each life - 2 or 4 legged, winged or swimming companions. About care and respect for each and every life entrusted to your care.

Because: once you create (as in ordered eggs to be hatched) or take in any animal into your care - you carry the responsibility for its life and owe it a  life that is in accordance with its beingness. Not everyone will agree or understand, for others this is not far enough.

I don't want to force my views on anyone. There is such a wide span between the meat-eaters (and there is a range there too) and the  vegans (with their own range). What I hope all animals get is this:  respectful treatment in life and death - that they are being allowed to live  a good and artengerechtes animal life.

In the meantime - there is a 2 month old Buff Catalana girl in the coop with a bad injury.  Her name is Harriet. It hurts. ...and she does not understand why she can't be up on the roost .... Whether she stays or goes on - I don't want her to suffer. Sending love to you, baby chick.

read the next post for what happens next - I named it: should you isolate chickens with injuries