Can she be saved - possible coyote attack

[Jensfunfarm]

A neighbor thought they saw a large furry dog chasing my chickens just after I left at 7:30am. I lost three hens and this one was in the corner of the coop. She has two large lacerations on her back. One is visible in the picture the other is under left wing. Anyone know if and/or how I can save her? She seems to be moving around ok and didnt fuss when I washed her in a bucket of water with a little soap. I put neosporin on them and put her in her own pen.

 

[AvianEgo]

Keep it clean and maybe indoors. Flies well lay eggs in the wound if given the chance . Ideally it should be sutured up but all you can do is try to do what you can.

 

[Jensfunfarm]

Thank you for the heads up. I will bring her inside. This will also help me monitor her eating and drinking.

 

[AvianEgo]

Good luck! Maybe someone else can chime in for some more advice too.

 

[myredwoman]

Hey, I had a similar experience with a raccoon attack last year. It was very, very bad, but I was able to nurse my own surviving hen back to health. Here's my advice (and be warned, this is long!):

- Definitely keep her indoors until you are sure that she is healing up, and to keep her a bit more immobile while the wound closes. Flies are a big problem outside, as well as exposure to infections. Also, whatever predator got her (and it could well have been an actual dog) might now realize that there are chickens to be had and come back looking for more.

- Your hen has had a very traumatic experience and it is best to keep her as still and quiet as possible for a few days or a week to minimize her stress. Stress itself can kill an animal, even if you are taking care of the wounds properly. Make sure no one is bugging her and that everything is warm, dim, and quiet. The bathtub for example is a great place to keep an injured or stressed hen. Put down some old towels that you don't mind getting poop and blood on. Put down water in a heavy container that she can't tip, and make sure she's got food and that she's eating it! I kept my bird initially in a storage tote with a hole cut out of the top and replaced with heavy mesh. When she could stand on her own, I moved her to the laundry room where I covered the whole floor with old towels held down with bricks so she couldn't move them around and poop all over the floor

- My surviving hen had multiple lacerations and puncture wounds all over her body, and all I did was wash them out with iodine solution several times a day and apply antibacterial ointment afterward. Don't just use soap and water - you want something that will sterilize the wound and iodine is perfect for that. Also, don't apply the ointment until after you have cleaned with the iodine each time - without sterilizing first, the ointment will just trap germies in. If you can get a vet with bird experience to look at her and tell you whether she needs stitches, that would be good. Its hard to tell from the photos how deep the wound is - and it may or may not be possible to stitch. Otherwise, just keep on the iodine and antibacterial ointment regimen religiously, and be very watchful for signs that the wound is getting infected. If you can get some first aid wrap from the drug store, you might be able to wrap this around her body in such a way that it keeps the wound closed and protected - just nothing sticky, and be careful to not wrap it tightly around her chest, don't want to suffocate her.

- It might be good to supplement her food while she is healing. For my hen, I would soak her pellets in a bit of warm water for about an hour every morning, just enough to make them fall apart a bit (not turn to soup). Then I cut open a vitamin E capsule and squeezed that on, added a dropper full of liquid kids' vitamins, and some spirulina powder. I also added cut up strawberries. I got this idea from another chicken forum, and from my experience as a wildlife rehabber. My hen was better enticed to eat by the food being moistened, but if yours is eating her pellets just fine, simply add these thing on top of her food. I swear they make a difference. Also provide her some dandelion greens cut up into little pieces for her to nibble if she's feeling up to it.

- Be very watchful for secondary problems like pneumonia or other issues that pop up because of the stress of the event and the weakened immune system. My bird did develop a respiratory infection several days after the attack - I got antibiotics from my vet to give her and that cleared it right up. Again, finding a vet that is willing to help you or at least give advice would be a good thing to do right away. If things take a quick turn for the worse, its good to have someone you know you can call or take your bird to immediately.

- Get ready to get some new friends for her if she does make it. Don't do this too soon - she will survive for a few weeks without companionship if need be, and that is better than causing further stress by introducing new birds too soon. But as I am sure you know, chickens are social and need buddies. In the meantime, you might think she seems really bored and depressed all on her own, but don't worry too much unless she stops eating or something. Once she has friends again she'll feel better.

- Last and most important - take a good hard look at your coop and fencing situation. Is this something that could happen again? If so, are you willing to keep letting this bird and subsequent new ones be exposed to whatever danger there is? The raccoon that got my birds just strolled in and attacked them while they were sleeping. That was my fault, because I had been too naive to realize that my coop wasn't secure against night time predators. So I totally Fort Knox-ed the place before putting the surviving bird and her new flock-mates back in there. And because I knew we had coyotes, raptors, and untrustworthy neighborhood dogs, I only let them free range when I was home or only gone for a couple hours. That was my compromise on the risk I wanted to expose my birds too, and everyone will make a different call. Just be sure you understand what your situation is and how you want to deal with the predator situation you have. And please, don't try to shoot, poison, or trap the predator! They are just taking advantage of an easy prey situation - and they have a job to do out there in the wild and we all need them around. By having chickens, we run these risks inherently, and its our job to keep our birds safe. Additionally, trapping and poison are indiscriminate and could harm another wild animal or someone's pet.

Hope some of that helped!!

 

[Jensfunfarm]

Thank you for all the information. I called around and was able to get some help. She has been cleaned multiple times and super glued back together. She is in a cage indoors, trying my best to keep it quiet. I am giving her aspririn and electrolytes in water and a variety of food. Going today for antibiotic. I think we will be ok )

 

[tmlpike]

I hope your chicken is okay! Like many of the other posts, make sure flies don't come anywhere near her! They are the biggest problem to look out for, as they will lay eggs and then the maggots will invest. I know, it's discusting. My neighbor's dog attacked my chicken, and the next day, there were maggots on the wound. It was horrible, and she didn't survive. Even one fly can do ALOT of damage. In the colder weather (winter) , there is less of a chance of this happening. I hope your chicken is okay, she seems very strong Best of luck