Ameraucana hen attacked by fox, not eating

[eac1988]

Hello everyone,

First time poster here. I have a lovely ameraucana hen that was recently attacked by a fox (Sunday). The fox got two of my other hens and all my babies, so I'm trying desperately to save this poor little bugger. I brought her to the vet yesterday, her wound are as follows: severe lacerations to the right side of the head, unable to tell yet if the eye is gone, puncture wounds to her back and a large torn area under her right wing. The vet gave her subcutaneous fluids (24cc), sutured the wound under her wing and flushed the puncture wounds. She is not eating or drinking on her own as far as I can tell. My instructions from my vet were to continue flushing the wounds (she gave me a special solution and syringe with plastic tip), to put a special antibiotic safe for eyes on her face 3 times a day, and to force feed her through a long tube and syringe. I am struggling with the force feeding, she is NOT pleased about having the tube stuck down her throat, so she moves and shakes her head around until the tube comes out and I end up squirting watery chicken pellets all over my dining room. I think she is doing ok, she is still pooping (albeit it is watery), but she can stand on her own and is still acting very chicken like, other than not eating and sleeping all the time. I have her in my dining room at a warm stable temperature in a poultry cage with water and some mash available if she wants to eat.

I think one of the problems is that the tube and syringe given to me by the vet is only a 10mm so the pellets even after being soaked are getting stuck at the bottom of the syringe so essentially all I have been able to get into her is the run off from my soaking pellets. Will this provide her with enough calories and liquids? I am considering going back to the vet and asking for a large tube and syringe maybe 30mm. But I also have horses so we have large syringes, but no tubing. If I stick the syringe into her mouth and drop by drop lay it on her tongue would this be more effective? She seems rather traumatized by the whole sticking a tube down her esophagus. Plus it makes me nervous every time that I am going to aspirate her, She is very thin, her body has used up almost all of what she has, her keel is very prominent. I think the subcu fluids helped her more than anything. Luckily there are no wounds to her breast or anywhere under her which is great considering the risk of infection. I am wondering if applesauce would be appropriate so that it wont clog my syringe? Or maybe a mixture of applesauce and a little gatorade for electrolytes?

I feel like if this hen doesn't survive it's on me, since I am charged with her post care. I know chickens are incredibly resilient and that they lack the normal amount of sensory neurons so her pain level should be okay. I have added some photos of what I can get pictures of, my poor little hen. I believe I should keep her isolated until her wounds heal enough, but how will I know when? I do have a roosty, but he is a very gentlemanly roo and I do not think he would try to mate with her. Sorry for the long post, I guess I'm traumatized as much as my bird!
Any advice would be appreciated! thank you

Emily

 

[Eggsoteric]

I would try offering her up some scrambled egg, yogurt, cottage cheese, chopped leafy greens, even some meat of some sort (help give her a protein boost),any food she finds especially appealing; add some vitamins to her water. I would definitely keep her separated from the flock as you don't want the other birds pecking at the wounds and making them worse (during fly season, I tend to keep any injured birds indoors as I want to try to avoid fly strike if at all possible). I would keep the wounds as scrubbed, flushed, clean and dry as possible, and pack them with regular neosporin. Good luck.

 

[MMorganE]

Yes! Keep her separated! And she is right, your baby needs protein in her diet. Try giving her corn from a can. My chickens LOVE corn kernels. Smash them if you need to.boil some turkey or chicken and try giving her little pieces. High protein is going to do wonders in her healing process. You would be amazed! Poor thing. Keep us posted!

 

[MMorganE]

Also, it will probably take a couple of days of her getting use to being caged and alone to get comfortable. Meaning- dont freak out that she isnt wanting to eat right away. It will come. She just needs time and comfort

 

[eac1988]

Thank you to those who responded! She began drinking on her own last night, so I tricked her by making her mash super soupy and then switching the bowls and she continued to eat! And is much more lively. Still unable to tell if the eye is gone or not.

 

[eac1988]

Oh, also I have a question. I was not instructed by my vet to put antibiotic ointment on her wounds other than her eye, just to continue flushing them with the solution. I think this is because the ointment will repel water making it harder to flush the wounds. But I also don't want her to get an infection. Thoughts?

 

[MMorganE]

If you've kept her in a clean area and the bleeding has stopped, i personally would flush her one last time and then put a little dab of ointment on the wounds. This is so great to hear! Good job as her caregiver!