Chicken Attacked by Fox and Now Sick

[MaggieRose2001]

Will chickens get sick after being attacked? Does it lower their immune system? I was letting my birds free range while I was outside working in the garden and a fox got one of my birds with me just 20 feet away! I didn't think they would have the gall to attack with me there. Anyway, luckily he only got her tail feathers and she wasn't wounded. However, 2 days later - she now has a bad respiratory thing going on - she's gurgly and sneezy, feels warm to the touch and she has red in her poo. She was just fine this morning. Could the red could be from something she ate or could it be blood? I removed her from the rest of the flock and just gave her Vetrx, apple cider vinegar in her water and garlic and herbs in her food. Any thoughts?

 

[Eggcessive]

She could have internal injuries, but the stress of the attack might have caused symptoms of some respiratory disease that may have been dormant to suddenly become active. Hard to know. Have you ever had a chicken with a respiratory infection before? Do you see any nasal drainage or bubbles in either eye? Can you post a picture of the droppings? How does her crop feel? Check it in the morning to see if it has emptied overnight. A slow full or sour crop might cause contents to come back up into the throat causing a gurgle.

 

[MaggieRose2001]

She could have internal injuries, but the stress of the attack might have caused symptoms of some respiratory disease that may have been dormant to suddenly become active. Hard to know. Have you ever had a chicken with a respiratory infection before? Do you see any nasal drainage or bubbles in either eye? Can you post a picture of the droppings? How does her crop feel? Check it in the morning to see if it has emptied overnight. A slow full or sour crop might cause contents to come back up into the throat causing a gurgle.

Thanks for your help. I have never had a chick with respiratory anything. She doesn’t have bubbles in her eyes - but i did see her sneeze out mucus. Her crop is fine, but she feels really warm. Her comb, wattles and tummy all feel warm/hot. Do chickens get fevers? The gurgle has subsided - just mostly coughing now.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is hard to tell about fevers since chickens’ temps can range from 103-108 depending on how much they are eating. So they will always feel warm to touch. Sometimes fever makes the comb and skin redder than normal. It’s good that she doesn’t have bubbles in her eye. She could have a milder virus which may go away in a few weeks. Is she drinking well? Watermelon and grapes sometimes will be eaten and you can add water to a small amount of her food to get more into her.

 

[MaggieRose2001]

It is hard to tell about fevers since chickens’ temps can range from 103-108 depending on how much they are eating. So they will always feel warm to touch. Sometimes fever makes the comb and skin redder than normal. It’s good that she doesn’t have bubbles in her eye. She could have a milder virus which may go away in a few weeks. Is she drinking well? Watermelon and grapes sometimes will be eaten and you can add water to a small amount of her food to get more into her.

Hey! I happen to have a watermellon sitting on my counter. I will try that tomorrow. Her comb and wattles are definitely redder than usual. Her coughing and such seem to be getting better. Fingers crossed!