Chicken attacked by hawk. Badly injured neck. Help, advice sought!

[Behrstock]

She is a barred rock born last April. She’s a healthy layer. Her neck was torn badly. I can see muscle and no feathers on a good portion. This happenbed about 2.5 hours ago. The feed store said to spray with blu-Kote, so we did. She is in a box inside. She is basically sleeping, though she wakes up every once in a while and can be quite alert for a few minutes. She has not tried to stand up or move around much. She moves her head in some awkward positions and I don’t know if there is a way I should try to position her. Should I try to clean or dress the wound more actively. The guy at the feed store said just to spray it lberally with Blu-Kate, but no sure how often to do that. Should I provide food or water? If so, how would I provide it? She doesn’t seem to be in pain, but I’m only optimistic because the guy at the store and some of the threads here say that hens are remarkably resilient. What else should I do, know to care for her and give her the best chance for recovery?

Thanks in advance for any help!
David

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen’s injuries. BluKote is only for minor wounds, not deep cuts, and it burns because it contains alcohol. Vetericyn hydrogel spray would be a good thing to get to use on her wounds twice a day without having to clean and care for them. Your feed store has that or other brands of hydrogel. She probably is in shock. Hopefully, she does not have internal injuries. Wry neck or torticolis can occur with head or neck injuries. I would keep her inside, warm, in a quiet dim spot, and observe her overnight. If she seems to be awake, you can offer her sips of water from a scoop or small cup. Later if she drinks, you could offer bits of scrambled egg, wet chicken feed, or canned cat food.

If she is able to go back to the coop in a few days, her wounds will attract pecking, so keep her in a dog crate with food and water. Once her wounds become scabbed then BluKote might be used to defer pecking. Time will tell if she survives, but many chickens do survive such wounds. Let us know how she gets along.

 

[HKG]

You should give her a little food and water in a small pan or lid. Just give just give her some time. I have a quail that had a bad head injury and put her under a heat lamp and she slept for a while. I gave her time and she bounced back and is just fine! It is a good sign if she is eating and drinking on her own. Good luck

 

[Behrstock]

Thank you so much for your helpful and quick response. I will try to buy the stuff you suggested tomorrow. Surprised the guy at the feedstore was so insistent this Blu-Kote was THE stuff. But what you say makes sense. Question: Should I try to give her some water with a dropper tonight or wait until morning. She's mostly sleeping, but she wakes up for little moments and at one point was kind of pecking at the box and opening and closing her mouth and swallowing and it made me think she might need water, but by the time I came back with a dropper she was asleep again. I don't see how she could drink on her own at this point as she has not even attempted to get up. Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

You can offer water in a spoon or a lid up to her beak. She would be okay without drinking overnight, but if she is awake, I would offer some.