Another update on Baby silkie hen/Hawk attack

[Juliechickens]

It's 11pm, I just checked on Baby. She was hick upping-like again. She stopped when I held her. It has gotten worse. Now she has a huge swollen bulge in her chest. I sware it feels like an egg! It's right straight down under her neck, right where her chest is. It feels like there is an egg in there. It has not ever felt this way so I assume it is swelling....??? Whatever it is,,,she is worse off than I thought. She also feels very hot. My hands felt a little sweaty after holding her. She is still resting on couch next to Lovey. It is nice and dark in there and she is comfortable. I prayed and I'm asking for your prayers. I know it's just a bird but she is special to my family and I she was one of the first birds I hatched. She has always been my smallest bird but always was super fast when she runs and always hung out with the big girls and guys. She thought she was tough when she would peck at some of the other big standard birds while they were eating and they would scoot over for her.
Please let me know if anyone knows what that egg-type bulge could be. Thanks, Julie and Baby

 

[eggcetra_farms]

Is the bulge to one side or the other, or right in the middle? Just curious, not sure how much of a help that is.

I sure hope she does ok.

 

[silkiechicken]

In her chest and it's not her crop... Is it hard? Fluid filled maybe? If it's air, she could have an ruptured lung. Doesn't sound too promising.

 

[johnnyjack]

hope it `works out for ya ..

 

[Juliechickens]

The bulge feels a little bit to the right side of her chest. Feels just like an egg. Hard and round and smooth. She is not bleeding any where. She is not screaching at all. She is very quiet and still and resting. She is breathing normal except for the occasional hick up thing she is doing every so often. She may be gasping to swallow I think. It could be her lungs for the bulge I just don't know. Julie

 

[johnnyjack]

........

 

[Juliechickens]

She always eats normally like all the other birds. She also drinks normal. She has not eaten or drank anything since the hawk attack this evening though. I will try feeding her in the morning and giving her water.
She normally eats layer feed with some cracked corn as a snack from time to time. She also eats fruit coctail as a snack which she loves very much. She also eats worms and such she digs up in the yard.
I will feed and give her water in the morning. All my birds asleep now and Baby and Lovey are sleeping on couch tonight. They are resting fine. The lump on the chest has developed in the last 2 hours. I guess I did not make that clear but it has. It is a big egg size lump in her chest on the right hand side. Feels just like an egg under her skin in her chest. Julie

 

[johnnyjack]

i dont know what to say juliemaybe somebody will. i will say a prayer for ya and ur bird

 

[pollysmum]

If you have a large sterile needle... one that you use on a syringe... carefully put it in just under the skin... don't poke it straight into the area... try and get to where the air build up is...

Sometimes with a trauma they get an air pocket build up and its just a matter of releasing the air.. if you don't it will press on her internal organs and they will go into organ failure

Putting it on a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics may be of benefit also

This is a duck that had trauma by falling from a childs hands and landing heavily on the ground... it caused trauma to the breast and caused air to build up.. once the air had been released the bird was ok.. it had to be done twice

 

[dlhunicorn]

are you unable to get to the vet then as earlier planned? Please remember that noone here is a vet and seeing you have not posted any photos I for one would certainly not even hazard to submit my comments as definitive in any way.... any suggestions made are simply guesses.
That being said (and I would feel alot better about the advice if you could post at least a pic) here is additional info to the advice above:
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/avianer.html
(from Dr. Wissman avian specialist)
"....Birds also have some pneumatized bones, and a fracture may result in extensive SQ emphysema. This is often puzzling to the beginning avian vet, who may suspect rib fractures. However, SQ emphysema is a common sequela to a fractured pneumatized bone and will usually spontaneously resolve with 24 hours."

Anatomy and Physiology
The bones of flighted birds are unique in that they have evolved some pneumatic bones that are hollow and contribute to the bird being light enough to fly. The bones of the pelvic girdle, some ribs, the humerus and the femur all are pneumatic, and contain large air-filled medullary canals that are involved with the respiratory cycle during flight. The bones of birds are relatively brittle and have thin cortices. They also contain more calcium than mammalian bone, which tends to make them more brittle and prone to developing multiple fractures at one site. The distal portion of the leg, below the tibiotarsus, has very little soft tissue covering bone, and the proximal half of the humerus also has little soft tissue covering bone, so fractures in these areas are often open and comminuted. When a pneumatic bone is fractured, often subcutaneous emphysema occurs, but it usually resolves within a day, without treatment....."
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/orthopedic.html

http://www.centerforavianrehab.org/First Aid and Your Pet Bird.doc
you will find Sandys advice mirrored here in the first aid fact sheet from avian rehab.org