Chick Disaster

[Manley]

This is my first time asking a question on here. I don't know if I am even doing it right. Well here is my question. I have 11 hens and 1 rooster. They are about 1 years old. This spring I bought 8 more chicks. They are about 11 or 12 weeks old. I had the chicks in the same pen as the other year old chickens, but in a seperate pen where the older ones couldn't get to them. The have been in this pen for about four weeks. Yesterday I figured they were old enough and big enough to be with the other chickens. To make a long story short, one of the big hens attacked one of the chicks so bad that it broke the chicks wing where it attaches to it's body. I don't know if anyone has had this happen before or if it will ever heal. My kids were watching, and tramatized, so I would like to save it if possible. I put a piece of cloth around the chic and taped the wing to it's body. The tape goes under the other wing, so it can still use one wing. I also seperated the chicks from the big ones again. Would appreciate any advice, thanks Manley.

[KChicken]

Yes, I don't think they were ready yet. Try putting them in when they're almost the same size as the other chickens. As for the broken wing, I don't know of any way to heal that.
KChicken

[JamesC]

You have done the right thing by immobilizing the wing. It will heal if you can keep it in place. I have had two hens with broken wings in the past. They usually can't hold them in place once healed but mine lived and were productive. One of them is still alive, old bird but aside from the droopy wing, she has lived a healthy life.
As KChicken advised you should keep the chicks separate. I would introduce when they are full grown at about 20 weeks or when they begin to lay.
James

[TRAILRIDER]

Manley, those are all good answers. Introducing new birds can be difficult, even when they are the same size. After all that's where the term "pecking order" came from. The best you can do is let them get as big as the others. I find its always a good idea to add several newbies at one time, then no one stands out like a sore thumb. (I do that with aquarium fish too.) Sometimes they just never get along well, then another pen goes up! LOL! My old polish hen has never gotten along in a flock, everyone picks at her crest til it bleeds. Now she is in a pen with a very young silkie rooster who grew up alongside her.

[Strongtower]

Manley, What kind of chickens do you have??

Helen

[Manley]

Thanks to all of you who replied back to me. I was glad to hear that I did the right thing by taping the wing to its body. When something like this happens, it's nice to be able to ask some questions from others that have more knowledge about chickens than I do.
The day that the chick was attacked, it didn't move around much or stand up. I didn't think it was going to make it. But today it was much better. It was eating and drinking and running around with the others. So for now it looks like it will be alright.
In reply to what kind of chickens I have, I have big mixture of them. The rooster is a Black Asterloope. I have 10 hens, 2 Buff Orphingtons, 2 Americanas, 2 Isa Browns, 1 Golden Laced Wyandott, 1 White Leghorn, 1 Black Sexlink, 1 I'm not sure, but I think it is a White Rock. Well I had better go. Thanks again Manley.

[amy]

i also raise ducks and back in the summer one of my ducks broke her leg,,,,,,,nobody could help me on what to do,,,,,,,,,,,but i took a chance and duct taped her leg with splints then taped her wings to her body,,,,,,,,,,,,i made sure she had water and feed at all times,,,,,,,,,,,after about 3 weeks i took the tape off,at first she acted like she was not going to be able to use the leg so i put her in the bath tub with enough water to lift her body weight up and make her use the leg,,,,,,,,,,,,,now she is 100 percent better u wouldn't even know she had had a broke leg,,,so hang in there ur probably doing the right thing

[AnnaXLA1]

good to hear that your chicken is doing better