Trying to Save a Muddy Chicken

The month of September was abnormally wet.  The rains fell every day and turned a water-soaked landscape into a swampy morass.  Goats don't like to get their feet wet, and you can tell they are unhappy.  After healing Annie up from hoof rot, she's been mostly staying in the barn.  The cows are usually okay with the rain, but the onslaught of swarms of mosquitoes that like the tall grass have chased the cows out of the grass.  They tromp around in the mud, creating deep holes.  You can tell they are miserable.

Tricia went out to do chores yesterday and discovered a barred rock hen that was stuck in the mud.  It couldn't get out and was very weak.  She had struggled and was absolutely covered in mud.  Tricia sprayed her off with a water hose to get the mud off, but the poor hen was water-logged, shivering, and weak.  We thought she may die.

I picked her up and put her in a bucket and brought her to the back patio for 'therapy.' 

Water-logged chicken

I put a heat lamp over the bucket to warm her up.  Even though it is hot and humid outside, the bird is weak and cold and needs to be warmed and dried.  I have to be real careful as I don't want to put the heat lamp too close or else I'll burn the chicken.  Too far and it won't help her.  We positioned the light where we felt it was best and continued checking on her for several hours.

After just a little while, you could see the chicken starting to perk up.  We did notice, however, the cats taking great interest in the chicken in the bucket.  They were circling the bucket like vultures.  We had to keep a close watch on the bird.

Just before going to bed, I checked on the bird again.  It wasn't perfect, but it was much better than when we brought it in.  I brought her back out to the pasture an let her roost where the others were settling in for the night. The jury is still out on whether the hen will survive, but we gave it a good try.