Attacked by Racoon, Severe Injuries, Emergency, Plz Help

[Kiki]

Poor things...both of you.
Doesn't sound too good, I'm sorry.

 

[biophiliac]

UPDATE: MUCH WORSE!
Yesterday I thought she was going to be fine! The swelling around her eye had gone down, she was moving around more, seemed to be limping less, was eating well, laid an egg, so I wasn't even worried anymore! Then today she looks like This!?
View attachment 1126341
She's not eating or drinking at al, not making any noises, I think my only option now is putting her down.I feel just terrible, I don't know what else to do, and if she has that Marek's thing I don't want the others to be possibly be exposed...I'll wait another day, but she obviously suffering.

EDIT-TO UPDATE AGAIN-I picked her up and have her in my lap. It's like she's been paralyzed from the 'waist' (possibly neck?) down. She can move her head and wings, but her feet are curled up and tucked right close to her body. She acts like she's trying to move-stretching her neck & wings out, straining forward, jerking her body, but she can't... she also pants on & off. I remembered that she had started 'clicking' or snapping her beak open & closed yesterday evening, but because she been doing better I didn't really pay much attention. She's recently had her beak trimmed & I thought she was just adjusting to it, or something like that. Her body feels like it's not alive, I don't know how else to explain it...there's nothing in her crop...she acts like she wants to move, but can't, even her tail will move as she tried to pull herself up, but her legs, feet & main body just aren't co-operating. Every once in awhile she jerk/spasm (seemingly) involuntarily...I don't know what else I can add.

She's taken a few sips of water, but has absolutely no interest in food.

Could it be something to do with the wood shavings? Because she can't see the food she pecks around in the bedding, as I tap the dish & guide her with sound, and I'm sure she's ingested some...I pick them out of her food for her all the time and make fresh batches 2-3x times a day and she has access to fresh water, but she rarely drinks it, unless I guide her there.

I've taken her outside and allowed her to the space to move, but she doesn't. She'll take a few tentative steps then just stops and sits down. I'm physically unable to sit down on the ground with her and can't keep stooping & bending over to pick her up, so she doesn't get out much either. So it can't be something she ate outside.

She's not really panting, more like sitting with her mouth open. For the most part I feel like she's just exhausted from trying so hard to move. Imagine if you're legs quit working & you had to try & pull yourself along with your arms (wings would be worse, imo), and you just can't get anywhere, I know I'd flop in place from the exertion...idk, just feel helpless.
Her feet do uncurl but again, it's as though she has no control over them.
Thanks again for any help and all the help in the past.

I am so sorry too. (sent you a PM)

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

You can try and tube feed her but she may be telling you it's time.
If she was eating the wood chips I would think they would get stuck in her crop. Maybe some would pass but I don't think they would break down enough.
It's always a hard decision and one only you can make. I know some people cull at the first sign of a problem. Others (myself included) hang on and try to give them the longest life possible.
You will know when it's time.

 

[BugStalker]

Young hens can sometimes handle going up and down like that for a while, but it does have a toll. A few have been really down for a day or two, and surprised me by recovering. If they have eaten relatively recently, you can watch their droppings. If they continue, you can look for color changes, and if they stop, something's either clogged or not working. Calcium and magnesium sometimes help, if you can dissolve some in a fluid and drip a few drops in their beak, making sure they swallow it. A little molasses works great as a gentle but powerful source of magnesium and minerals. Oyster shell powder can work for calcium. If their crop is empty, I like to carefully get a little fluid in them. The faster it empties, the better. Keep them warm, cozy and quiet.

 

[OG Anomaly]

LAST UPDATE

Well, it's done.

She'd begun having small intermittent seizures and along with all her other problems, I decided the kindest thing I could do was end her life.

I had read a thread/post in the beginning of all this, on the correct way to break the neck (it was described perfectly) but couldn't find it again.
I decided to try YouTube, after having read another post that mentioned watching videos there, and I couldn't believe it, but yes they had videos on several different methods. The ones I watched were short, direct, and respectful of the bird. It may sound macabre, but I'm thankful they were there.

I'm still a little shaky, I wanted to get this done asap and not think about it for awhile... I've never had to kill something that I'd spent time with and cared for before. The very few times I've personally euthanized an animal in the past, it was always a wild one who'd been so seriously injured it was obviously going to die anyway but they were suffering so much I wanted to help them end it asap. In the past, I've always taken them to the vets to be euthanized. Just last week we had to put a beloved cat down. RIP King Henry.

Anyway, I chose (what I think is called) cervical decapitation. My son was there as well. For a number of reasons I felt it would be good for him to learn from this experience as well.

Unless someone requests it, I won't go into too many details, but I think it went as well as it could for a first timer.

One last Big Thank You to all who helped! Either by sharing your knowledge, support, anecdotes of your own, or all of the above. It made a very stressful situation easier to deal with and I learned so much.
Wishing you all the best and especially for happy healthy chickens and families

 

[Kiki]

LAST UPDATE

Well, it's done.

She'd begun having small intermittent seizures and along with all her other problems, I decided the kindest thing I could do was end her life.

I had read a thread/post in the beginning of all this, on the correct way to break the neck (it was described perfectly) but couldn't find it again.
I decided to try YouTube, after having read another post that mentioned watching videos there, and I couldn't believe it, but yes they had videos on several different methods. The ones I watched were short, direct, and respectful of the bird. It may sound macabre, but I'm thankful they were there.

I'm still a little shaky, I wanted to get this done asap and not think about it for awhile... I've never had to kill something that I'd spent time with and cared for before. The very few times I've personally euthanized an animal in the past, it was always a wild one who'd been so seriously injured it was obviously going to die anyway but they were suffering so much I wanted to help them end it asap. In the past, I've always taken them to the vets to be euthanized. Just last week we had to put a beloved cat down. RIP King Henry.

Anyway, I chose (what I think is called) cervical decapitation. My son was there as well. For a number of reasons I felt it would be good for him to learn from this experience as well.

Unless someone requests it, I won't go into too many details, but I think it went as well as it could for a first timer.

One last Big Thank You to all who helped! Either by sharing your knowledge, support, anecdotes of your own, or all of the above. It made a very stressful situation easier to deal with and I learned so much.
Wishing you all the best and especially for happy healthy chickens and families

 

[biophiliac]

LAST UPDATE

Well, it's done.

She'd begun having small intermittent seizures and along with all her other problems, I decided the kindest thing I could do was end her life.

I had read a thread/post in the beginning of all this, on the correct way to break the neck (it was described perfectly) but couldn't find it again.
I decided to try YouTube, after having read another post that mentioned watching videos there, and I couldn't believe it, but yes they had videos on several different methods. The ones I watched were short, direct, and respectful of the bird. It may sound macabre, but I'm thankful they were there.

I'm still a little shaky, I wanted to get this done asap and not think about it for awhile... I've never had to kill something that I'd spent time with and cared for before. The very few times I've personally euthanized an animal in the past, it was always a wild one who'd been so seriously injured it was obviously going to die anyway but they were suffering so much I wanted to help them end it asap. In the past, I've always taken them to the vets to be euthanized. Just last week we had to put a beloved cat down. RIP King Henry.

Anyway, I chose (what I think is called) cervical decapitation. My son was there as well. For a number of reasons I felt it would be good for him to learn from this experience as well.

Unless someone requests it, I won't go into too many details, but I think it went as well as it could for a first timer.

One last Big Thank You to all who helped! Either by sharing your knowledge, support, anecdotes of your own, or all of the above. It made a very stressful situation easier to deal with and I learned so much.
Wishing you all the best and especially for happy healthy chickens and families

Sometimes compassion takes a little extra courage. You are a brave lady.
@casportpony recently started a euthanasia thread ... you might want to share more there.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm so sorry.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Very Sorry for your loss. It is never an easy decision. Know that you gave her the best life she could have. And when the time was right you helped her finish that life with kindness and dignity.

 

[BugStalker]

I'm sorry for your loss. It's hard, but you did well.