Advice needed for overnight care. Pullet attacked by hawk, but alive

[lisahaschickens]

Hello all,

as I posted in another, earlier thread, my favorite pullet, Lady
Banks, was attacked by a hawk today. She is 7 weeks old. The hawk came out of nowhere and when I saw it with her I screamed and ran at it and it flew away, leaving her there... stumbling and sneezing blood. That was about 7 hours ago (3pm Pacific, it is now 10pm here) and she is thankfully still alive, but I can't yet tell if she is going to make it. After the inital blood coughing, there hasn't been anymore blood and she's mostly been acting dazed and sleepy. She's been sleeping wrapped in a towel on my lap or in a box in our guest bedroom. It is warm and quiet in here. However, in all this time, she hasn't had any interest in water. At others' suggestion, I have put drops of water on her beak with my fingers, and later an eye dropper (DF went out and bought one for me)... but she basically lets the water just drip off her beak. She has licked at a couple of the drops and if I stick her beak in a cup of water (just the tip, gentl, of course), sometimes she opens her mouth, sometimes not, but she doesn't drink.

She is aware of what is going on and opens her eyes and sometimes stands up when things are happening around her. When I put her down in her box, I even got a couple of feeble peeps. But, at this point, I think she needs water and I don't know what to do. Should I just leave her be in her box overnight and not bother her? She has a baby waterer in there with her. Maybe rest is best? Or, should I try to give her drops of water every so often through the night? I'm not sure what's best for her, but I want to do my best to give her every chance of making it.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or ideas!

 

[lisahaschickens]

also, at 7 weeks old, she is used to being outside in the coop, run, and free-ranging in temps as low as the 40s. The heat lamps are in the coop with my other birds who are her same age. Many of them don't use them any more at all, but I'm leaving them in for a while longer because it could get really cold over night one night.

so, question - if we turn the overnight heat in the house up to 66 (normally we keep it at 55), will that be warm enough for her? I don't have another heat lamp and since she is in a small box, I'm not sure what I could use for extra heat... or is she OK without it? Any advice is appreciated.

Also, I just ran out of the electrolytes that I had for their water and I didn't get more because I didn't think they'd need them anymore. She won't drink the water anyway, though... it just drips off her beak no matter how I give it to her or dip her beak...

oh and the dark... several people said she needs to be in the dark. But, she has never been in the total dark before and I've been told that suddenly putting them in the total darkness can scare them, which I don't want. Right now I have her in a bedroom with one small reading light on in a corner of the room. Should I leave it on or turn it off. Like I said, she's used to the light from the brooder lamps out in the coop.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

I am so sorry to hear about your poor girl!

I would try to keep her as warm and comfortable as possible and keep water available for her and hope tomorrow brings a good outcome. I will keep my fingers crossed for her.

 

[lisahaschickens]

thank you, I appreciate that. I am doing my best. I feel so hopless. I feel like mostly all I can do is wait and that I should go to bed and see what the morning brings but I want to help her more! I wish there were more I could do...

 

[Up-the-Creek]

I am so sorry and my heart goes out to you. maybe someone on her with more chicken knowledge will try to help you out. Honestly I don't know what more you could do outside calling a vet. I hope all turns out.

 

[Cetawin]

Bless her heart, sounds like shock is the biggest concern and hydration at this point. Keep her warm and quiet. You can put a blanket over the majority of the box to hold heat in there for her.

Use the eye dropper to put water in her mouth. Just open her beak gently and drop it on her tongue or in the side of the beak if you cannot open her beak enough to drop it on her tongue.

Use can take her food and run it through it a coffee grinder/food processer and make a powder form, mix water in it so it is soupy and give that to her by eye dropper too.

The important thing is keeping her warm and quiet...keeping her hydrated...and try to get some nutrients in her. Once she starts responding, then you can search out injuries and such.

Good luck with her.

 

[lisahaschickens]

good morning! see update on my original post. I will let this post go for now as I was only looking for advice for overnight.

She is up and doing better this morning.