- Jun 4, 2013
- 7
- 1
- 11
Hi everyone! First of all, let me say i am so glad i found this site, it has been so helpful with many questions I have had over the past few days as a new chicken owner. Here is my problem: Two days ago one of my young chicks, approximately 2 months old, was attacked by a hawk right in front of me. I only allow the chickens out of their run if I am in the backyard, which apparently doesn't matter to a bold hawk! I managed to chase the hawk down and it dropped my chicken in the weeds. Obviously my chick was traumatized, so based on the information I read in other posts, I isolated her from the rest in a warm box. She ate very little and drank nothing the first two days. Today I read a post in which someone mentioned to feed injured chicks boiled egg yolks mixed with water. She gobbled that down like she never had food before, but I had to actually hold a shallow dish close to her mouth so she could eat. My main concern is that she can not stand upright without propping herself in the corner of the box. If she is not propped, she just flops onto her back helplessly and cant maneuver her way back to her belly. The only obvious wound is on her back between her wings there appears to be an abrasion, perhaps from the hawks tallons? I see no puncture wounds on her back, yet there was blood. She wasnt bleeding profusely, just a little bit. She has no balance. Could she have a broken leg, dislocated wing? How do I know? I am not willing to take her to the vet. Any advice? When I pick her up, she chirps quite a bit. I think I am more afraid that I might hurt her if I try to assess her damage by picking her up. Any advice will help!
Don't underestimate those hawks! They are silent and sneaky!
Thanks!
Don't underestimate those hawks! They are silent and sneaky!
Thanks!