SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME.

i am freaking out.
i cant think straight.
i was outside with the girls and a hawk swooped down and pulled my buffy off my lap. i grabbed her legs and yanked her back to me.

but she is messed up really badly. she has two huge punctures on her chest and her wing is broken and she has a big gash going along her side.

i cut her feathers away from the wound and applied some antiseptic with numbing stuff in it then put gause (sp) and wrapped her wing to her body.

i dont know what else to do. shes in a dog cage with food and water and i gave her some grapes.

please help me. the vet doesnt open until monday morning and the ER vet doesnt accept chickens.

Tie her wing up so it won't flop. Give her vitamin drops or ACV in her water. Keep her quiet and calm - maybe bring her in your house and make her a place to sleep in a quiet place with low light. If she is eating try a treat like rice and yogurt to keep her appetite up.

Sorry this happened.

Oh Cheeks, sooo soo sorry,

All I know is do not leave her outside, cuz folks been having real problems with maggots infecting their chickens flesh and killing them.

Please bring her in so the flies dont get to her, even if she cries for the others.

Hope some others chime in soon on emergency measures.

Jill

That is all you can do for now. Keep her clean and apply the AB ointment-although dont apply it so much that you create a barrier that does not allow the it drain. You can create an abcess type of pocket with the ointment that way. Your vet will probably put her on oral antibiotics--or if you have any at home you can do it. Infection is going to be the biggest battle now so keep her in a clean environment. Hydrate her, keep her quiet, warm and stressfree. (If animals go into shock, their temps will drop)

Bring her in to protect her from maggots and you were absolutely righ tto wrap the wing to the body like that.

Taking her to the ER right now is not a make or break kind of thing. My guess is that even if the see chicks, they would put her on AB's and send her home for you to watch her. So your doing the best you can do for her right now. I have read about them bouncing back from worse. Ill keep my fingers crossed for her.

Good luck, Tiffany (CVT)

Wow, that is unreal to have a hawk actually grab your bird off your lap. We deter the hawks and eagles by just being outside. Sounds like you have one that is awful brave. Sorry for your injured bird...I hope she recovers. Sounds like you are doing what you can. Blu-Kote works wonders on any open wound and can be found at all animal or farm stores. Good Luck.

bigzio

she is inside with me. i got her to eat grapes, and im about to give her some yogurt.

as far as antibiotics, i have cephalexin. is that safe for chickens? i know its okay for dogs, but i dont know about birds.


i also twist tied her a food and water dish in the crate, but she keeps jumping on the water and knocking it over.


man. im guessing that hawk is what got cheeks. i am about to lose my mind.

I'm so sorry, how awful and scary for both of you. I don't have much experience with this but it's my nightmare as I live in the forest and there are hawks,owls,and eagles. You seem to have done everything, the only thing I woul do also is to put a little sugar in her water and offer her some protein with treats, like oatmeal and scrambled egg or a worm, Protein is necessary for tissue healing and sugar in the water gives quick carbs for stress and they like the subtle sweetness. Good luck and keep us posted.

how much sugar should i put in her water?

FYI: In smaller birds, Cephalexin is given 25 to 50mg at each dose, which is two times a day for 10 to 14 days. I am not a vet, just a certified tech, so I can not tell you to use AB's BUT....it is a good broad spectrum AB often used for skin infection and other gram+/- bacteria. You probably have 250 or 500mg capsules with powder, so you would have to "divide" it accordingly. Some variance in the mg amount is not harmful. If it were my bird, IMO, I would use it. But you do whatever you are comfortable with, be sure to tell your vet on Monday though.....if you still take her. And be sure to do the full 14 days or you could have trouble down the road. Again, I am not trying to tell you medically what to do...just what I would do if it was my bird.

Again, I hope she bounces back. The fact that she is eating is a GREAT sign.

You can find more info on it by doing a google search for bird, cephalexin. I found there that it is commonly used in pigeons with no side affects.

And obviously--DONT eat any eggs she may lay while on AB's unless talking to your vet. I have not idea about the withdraw time on any of these meds.

i thought that would be a good sign.

i have 500mg caps. thats going to be really hard to divide.

but thank you for helping me.

i dont know what i would do without you guys.

edited to add: do i just disolve the cephlex in her water?