When I was a kid my mum, would advise me to stop my whining and fussing over my boo-boos. We’re of good British stock; translation: it’s a matter of pride to keep a stiff upper lip in the face of pain or adversity. Curiously though, she did like to show off any war-wounds that she had incurred. Many years ago, she sustained a substantial purple bruise on her thigh while tobogganing. To my horror, she would whip her pants down in front of anyone – including my grade 5 classmates – to show it off. Believe me, it took far too many days for that bruise to lose its shock appeal.
I’ve grown up to be a bit of a chip off the old block. If I sustain an injury – a paper cut, bruise, burn or a bleeder – I want the attention it deserves. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am to have a painful injury without much to show for it. The best ones are dramatic looking without the suffering. Nothing like milking something for all it’s worth.
Over the years I’ve experienced my share of chicken-related injuries: scratches, bites, cuts, slivers, falls, sprains and one hospital visit to be fitted with a temporary cast.
I know misery loves company so I’ve collected a number of similar issues experienced by other chicken keepers. Don’t look if you’re squeamish and if you’re a show-off send me your own story and photos that I will add to the next edition.
This, my peeps, is what an eyeball looks like after a chicken pecks it. I wasn’t planning on giving my chickens names, but she may have earned one. – Anastasia Appleberry
My neighbour was nailing some bars to her coop with a nail gun and nailed her hand to the wall. She had to wait for her husband to find her. Then he had to saw that part of the wood out. She’s our neighbourhood hairdresser and poor thing had to wait until it healed to be able to work. – Nichole Marian Anderson
I might have the worst poultry related injury that’s happened to anyone in a while. Little ducky was in their brooder and their buddy died so they were all alone. One week ago I woke up to her trying to jump out of the brooder. I had chicken wire on top to prevent this but she got stuck in the wire. So like any good duck dad I rushed out of bed to save her. I got out of bed WAY too fast and instantly had severe back pain shooting down my leg. I got her rescued and took medicine for the pain. A couple hours later, no relief and this is WORST PAIN OF MY LIFE level pain. I got a ride to urgent care where they did a CT scan and found I had a severe herniated disc and told me if I hadn’t come in I could have been paralyzed. They sent me to the hospital for an emergency MRI and found it was so bad that several pieces of the disc broke and were pushing up against my spinal cord. I had to get spinal surgery to remove the pieces. It went from the pain being so bad that morphine did nothing at all to being at home now and able to manage with just Ox’s. This is the stuff that I would never have thought could happen from raising a duckling. I still love the duck and she’s still alive and growing well. She grew a lot in the six days I was in the hospital. – Larry Sanders
Broke my wrist unloading feed. I stacked two bags on the ground, turned around for the third and tripped over the two on the ground. My right hand caught all my weight. I had surgery and it’s still messed up. My pinkie does what it wants to do. – Karen Van Meter Minton
I ended up in the ER Wednesday. My husband was in the yard and our rooster (very affectionate) jumped on his shoulder for pets and he looked down and one of our hens pecked him in his only seeing eye. My husband is blind in his right eye. ER doctor put stain in and showed me the damage on the woods lamp. The circumference of his pupil was pecked. He went out last night with the help of our grandson and our rooster was wanting love. Just a PSA. Watch your eyes and roosters can be lovable and hens can be witches – Unknown
I broke my ankle and leg about two months ago trying to get two hens off my porch. I forgot where I was and fell off some steps. A few screws and one plate later and I’m just now starting to put some weight back on my foot. Be careful out there, little critters can cause some unforeseen accidents. – Michele Taylor
I’ve had two accidents while chicken tending. First, I slipped in mud and chicken poop and went down onto my knees, then threw my hands out in an attempt to keep from face planting into it. My hands slid violently out and my chest and the side of my face slammed into the ground, mud and poop. That hurt my knee, back, pride and a minor tear in my shoulder. I tried to get up and couldn’t because of the slick mud/poop so I had to roll over until I got onto the grass! Very humiliating in front of all my chooks. I couldn’t use that shoulder for nearly a year.
Then another time, I literally walked off the back porch calling to the girls that I was coming to let them out. I completely missed the top step and fell face first towards the HVAC concrete pad, somehow turned away from actually hitting it, but busted up my right knee and both shins. One of the few times I’ve ever screamed like a girl. I limped on that knee for nearly a year afterwards.- Cyndi Mills Patton
Ouch. What a painful break! When I was moving pallets and throwing them from my run out to the yard to clean them my index finger slid down to the smaller part and got lodged in the small crack and broke it. Then I came into the house and slammed my finger in the door. And the again the next day. It’s still not healed. My doctor thinks it could be a torn tendon. – Jamie Schwartz Gartner
Ocular cellulitis and sepsis. – Kristen Aleena Maria
Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and photos. Featured photo: Gracie Lou. If you’ve got a story to share drop me a line using the ‘contact’ button on my homepage.
“Keeping chickens and keeping it real.”
Bitchin' Chickens 
0 comments on “A Chicken Keeper’s Life As Told Through Injuries 2”