Can a chicken survive a stroke or heart attack?

[surfinghen]

We had a horrible raccoon attack on my flock on Wednesday and lost 5 of my 9 hens. 3 were unhurt and one, our Jersey Giant was acting like her leg was hurt but after she calmed down I noticed that she was unsteady on her legs and would tip forward and use her wings to balance her. I've been keeping her separate from the other survivors, she has been drinking on her own and does try to eat on her own as well. From the research I've done I believe she had a heart attack or a stroke or maybe even some kind of brain damage. I wont go into too much detail about the attack but the raccoons pulled my girls through the wire of our hen pen.
My concern for her is her quality of life and if she will ever get better or at least be able to live with her sisters again with some accommodations. Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated. Just a follow up in case your wondering, we have reinforced the hen pen with smaller wire. It is fully inclosed and we never thought something this horrible could happen. Lesson learned the very hard way!

 

[dawg53]

I seriously doubt a chicken could survive a stroke or heart attack. Either would impair their abilities to survive, chickens arnt like humans. Perhaps your JG has some unseen internal injuries (torn or sprained tendons/ligaments for example.) It's up to you whether you want to cull or not.

 

[emmaie892000]

I would wait to see if she moves along okay. She may recover. If not, it's up to you what you want to do.

 

[surfinghen]

Well, my big girl proved us all wrong! She has rejoined her sisters, they rallied around her and she walked on her own back to the coop. Her strength improved with every passing day, she is no longer loosing her balance when she walks although she sometimes will tip over if she bends her neck to clean under her wings, but she is otherwise fine. She a fighter that one!

 

[MonicaMKUK]

One of my chickens has just died of what looks like a heart attack - its 1.20am in the UK and she died about an hour ago in her coop so really reassuring to read some of these posts as everyone in the house asleep. She had been listless all day and didn't rush to the back door to try to get the cat food as she usually does. I went to check they were all OK in their hen house before going to bed and shut the door to the chicken fence - as I was coming back to the house there was this tremendous crashing as if all three hens were having a fight in there - when I shone my torch in Eggbertha (our oldest chicken about 2 years) was lying collapsed half in and out of the laying area with the other 2 making worried noises around her.

She survived her 2 sisters being take by foxes and I don't know if this weakened her heart? I worry that some of the leftovers she has had have been too salty or oily (having read the posts on this) but would this cause a heart attack/stroke? - they have the run of a large garden and regular mealworms and pellets?

I have just been to check on her again and she has died. Can't face moving her in the dark and cold with a torch so will have to leave her till morning.

RIP Eggbertha