Chicken attacked by Raccoon-need advice soon please

[twoandtwo]

Hi. I have a flock of 6 hens and tonight one was attacked by a raccoon! The dog fought off the raccoon and the hen is still alive but hurt very badly. This is the first time I have had a survivor, and from reading previous posts I am completely unprepared for the event.

She is a Barred Rock

About a year and a half old

She only weighs maybe 4-5 pounds I imagine.

She was attacked from the rear so she has a large chunk out of her upper behind maybe 3x4 inches in size.

I cannot tell if she is eating or drinking anything yet but her face is right near the water if she needs it.

her breathing is quite labored but she is sitting upright.

I have her on the porch in a hutch....should she come in?

How in the blazes do you clean such a wound without hurting her even more?

I have read the other posts to get information but ALOT of the advice regarding treatments are abbreviated or initials and I don't know what they mean.


Please help me,

Christine

 

[Wooden_Pony]

I would bring her inside and keep her warm.

Not sure about the wound sorry, someone will help soon.

Just get her inside and warm.

 

[kstaven]

If the wound is dirty you will have to flush it. Boil a gallon of water and add a tsp of salt. Let it cool and you have a clean saline solution for flushing.

Keep her warm and add electrolytes to her water. Gatorade will work in a pinch.

Not likely she will want to eat at this point.

 

[eggchel]

First of all, Raccoons can carry rabies. Your chicken wont get it, but you could from any saliva that the raccoon left in the wound. Wear rubber gloves or wash your hand thoroughly after handling the hen. It isnt likely that you would contract rabies in this sitution, but that is one disease with which you shouldnt take any risks.

Inside is fine, so is outside, but if she is outside, you should either cover the wound or put something on it so that flies cannot lay eggs (maggots) in the wound. There are some products that are used on horses and dogs when they are wounded, but I am not familiar with them. You can just bandage the wound.
Washing the wound with some antiseptic or putting some antibiotic ointment on it might help. Some people sew the wound closed, but I would wait and see if she looks like she will live first.

Keep the hen separated from the others so that they wont pick on her. If you have any vitamins/minerals for chickens, put some in her water. Or, if you have some liquid baby vitamins, you can use those. Hopefully she will continue to eat and drink. If you have dried cat food, put some of that in her bowl. It is high protein. If she makes it thru the night and you want to pamper her.... give her some cooked egg yolks (again, high protein) or some yogurt (just good stuff).

Im really sorry about your hen, I hope she makes it.


Chel

 

[twoandtwo]

Now I have her inside and I can hear that her breathing is very "wet" like her lungs have fluid in them? Oh poor sweet girl. I feel so rotten!

Can my house be too warm? It is so warm in here because of the unseasonably hot days we are having.

Any other suggestions?

 

[dlhunicorn]

you need to flush the wound with saline solution as described above and then if you have any disinfectant such as novalsan (or a clorhexidine based one that you can get at pharmacy) use that after... use neosporin to keep the wound moist... there are also some horse wound products for deep wounds that you could use instead of the neosporin...
you will need to do this daily...
What antibiotics do you have? The avian wound website advises clavunic acid potentiated amoxcillin but many vets opt to give Baytril...these types of wounds will need this so my advice is to please take her to a vet and if she needs a few stitches or such he can do this for you and give you the proper antibiotic.
Unfortunately the "wet" sounds you hear while breathing may indecate puncture wounds elswhere ? I really think you need a vet for this...

 

[melsnow]

I had this happen once. Clean the wound, put
A & D ointment. Put her in a box with some shavings. Lid left open of course and (this may sound weird) but set her in a dark room or closet. Mine stayed in her box for about a month or two and was fine. Lost a lot of muscle but lived. They kind of go dormant I guess you'd say. Good Luck!

 

[hinkjc]

Good point Chel on the rabies. Chickens don't get it, but be sure to protect yourself first.

As for her breathing, it is likely a secondary infection setting in due to the stress. She will need antibiotics and probiotics to regain strength.

Everyone has already touched on the cleaning part and that's really important. Seeing a vet is a good idea as well.

As for the last post, I'm sure they just omitted this, but even in isolation, she will need food and water readily available. Dim lighting should be sufficient for her to see to eat and drink. I wouldn't do entirely in the dark.

Jody