Hawk attack. Graphic pics *Updated pics 3/30/15

[ChickieKat]

A small update: She is still recuperating in our little bathroom. I was going to move her to a crate in our basement with our other 3 chickens who all had some sort of injury this winter, but we seemed to get a bit droopy for a day or two and we decided to keep her in the bathroom right off our bedroom in case she needed help. I think she is just lonely, as we now have a the bottom of the doorway blocked but are keeping her door open and she is much more active when she can hear and see activity. She still can't hop up on anything, so it will work for a few more days.

Here are some updated pics:
This is her wound now. It is super dark from the Blu-Kote spray. I have been keeping it moist with Vetrycin as it was cracking and bleeding as it dried. She seems much more comfortable with it wet. She is also starting to get more movement in the shoulder so I want her to be able to flex it without worrying about opening it back up.

This is her poor naked back, which won't be naked for long! She is growing a healthy batch of new pin feathers!!!

My sweet girl is definitely making a comeback!

 

[MrsBachbach]

Glad to see she is still kicking and moving along! I think she will heal up fine but the wing will likely never be right.
Wonder if that comfrey would help on that? I've never heard of the stuff, but sounds promising.
I don't remember when her injury started, but I would think that by two weeks you should be able to have her back on her regular diet, layer pellets that is. The crop should be well healed by then. Or even chick food would work if you don't want her to get extra calcium. I guess you could introduce the regular food back to her gradually. She will probably turn her beak up after all the treats she has been getting.

 

[ChickieKat]

She is 11 days out now and I noticed tonight that she had new skin growing at ther edges of the wound. You can actually see it in the pics too.

We now have an unexpected problem that we never thought of. Apparently she had mites... Grrrr... They have moved into our house and we are all itching and I keep finding them crawling across the screen on my phone, on my baby's face, and I can occasionally feel them in my hair and arms and legs. I am totally freaked out by parasites. Any ideas on a good way to de-mite her and out house safely?

 

[MrsBachbach]

She is 11 days out now and I noticed tonight that she had new skin growing at ther edges of the wound. You can actually see it in the pics too.

We now have an unexpected problem that we never thought of. Apparently she had mites... Grrrr... They have moved into our house and we are all itching and I keep finding them crawling across the screen on my phone, on my baby's face, and I can occasionally feel them in my hair and arms and legs. I am totally freaked out by parasites. Any ideas on a good way to de-mite her and out house safely?

Oh my! That would freak me out. Is it lice or mites? Lice usually stay on the bird, mites live in cracks I think and migrate to food sources. I use an effective yet unconventional method for ridding my birds of those things, Frontline. Some people use the drops that you use on cats, I use the spray bottle Frontline. I just draw some up in a syringe and administer a drop or two under their vent, one under each wing and one on their back. If you check them in a few days you no longer find them on the bird. One treatment will last for several months. Other people use poultry dust, but that is messy and you have to do the whole bird in it down to the skin. I think food grade DE is also effective against lice or mites, but again the dusting, and you don't want to breath it in. If they are in your house you might be able to spray the Frontline in the cracks along the baseboards for them, window sills, etc. They hide in cracks is my understanding on mites.. I really don't know about the house, but an exterminator might be in order to rid the house of them.

 

[ChickieKat]

Definitely mites. We have dealt with bird lice before and these are much smaller and we are itchy too. I am totally freaked out. I may try Frontline as I don't want to handle her too much to dust her. So you use the spray but only put drops on?

 

[MrsBachbach]

Definitely mites. We have dealt with bird lice before and these are much smaller and we are itchy too. I am totally freaked out. I may try Frontline as I don't want to handle her too much to dust her. So you use the spray but only put drops on?

Yes, I don't spray the bird, I just put some in a syringe and put drops on them that way. On the skin, not the feathers. You could just use the squeeze trigger stream and do a small squirt in each area, but I think that puts a bit more than needed on the bird. Like I said, some people have used the regular Frontline drops for cats or small dogs and used it that way, administering just a drop under the vent and maybe on the birds back directly on the skin. All I know is I did not find anymore lice on the bird after applying that. And it will kill the ones that hatch too. I pretty sure it said it kills mites too. I'm not sure if the application would have to be different for mites, but if they don't stay on the bird, I might also spray her legs since I would guess that's how they get on the bird. That and spray her roost. It's the Frontline spray that has the dog and cat picture on it and says it kills lice and mites. I don't know how many different sprays they have, but that's the one I have used.

 

[Outpost JWB]

I would also use sevin all around the perimeter of the house. I dust my birds a couple times a year with sevin. A word of caution though: Don't use sevin if you have a bee hive near. It will kill bees.

 

[ChickieKat]

I think I am going to try the Frontline drops on her and our cat first and keep washing our bedding and clothing and see how that goes. I worry about using Sevin and having a mobile baby/young toddler. I did dust out mattress with diatomaceous earth and also the baseboards in the bathroom and around the base of our bed. (Our mattress is on the floor) I have been changing the sheets and washing and drying them on hot every night since realizing what is going on. I really need to get her back outside so we can really tackle the mite issue. I feel like it is really pointless as long as we have chickens in the house.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I think I am going to try the Frontline drops on her and our cat first and keep washing our bedding and clothing and see how that goes. I worry about using Sevin and having a mobile baby/young toddler. I did dust out mattress with diatomaceous earth and also the baseboards in the bathroom and around the base of our bed. (Our mattress is on the floor) I have been changing the sheets and washing and drying them on hot every night since realizing what is going on. I really need to get her back outside so we can really tackle the mite issue. I feel like it is really pointless as long as we have chickens in the house.

I thought mites didn't live on chickens? I thought they hid in cracks and crevices during the day and came out at night to feed on whatever is available? At least that's what I have always read. I guess I'm saying if that's the case, removing the chickens may not solve the problem. Unless there is a type of mite that does live on the chicken, in which case, the Frontline will kill them.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I think I am going to try the Frontline drops on her and our cat first and keep washing our bedding and clothing and see how that goes. I worry about using Sevin and having a mobile baby/young toddler. I did dust out mattress with diatomaceous earth and also the baseboards in the bathroom and around the base of our bed. (Our mattress is on the floor) I have been changing the sheets and washing and drying them on hot every night since realizing what is going on. I really need to get her back outside so we can really tackle the mite issue. I feel like it is really pointless as long as we have chickens in the house.

So how is the patient doing? Curious how her recovery is coming along.