Chicken attacked by raccoon, shock (warning graphic pictures)

[rockymountain]

Sadly yesterday a raccoon got into the run. Found a very small opening by the gate. I lost two chickens their heads stripped. Two other chickens are fine. Spent the morning resecuring the run. Found a small opening about six inches above the gate. Setting a bate and game cam to be sure run is secure prior returning the other two chickens. I am coming here for advise. My oldest chicken and the alpha, I am guessing she is going on eight years old. Her whole head was stripped of feathers. I brought her into a warm room. Looks so bad I thought I would of lost her last night. Early this morning she was sleeping laying down. Today she is walking around but is clearly in shock. She is such a fighter. This injury is very graphic. I hope possible of recovery. I have been giving some fluids with antibiotics and ACV in water. Gave her scrambled eggs and cottage cheese last night. Didn't eat. Today not eating but have been syringe water mixture. I cleaned her wounds with hydroperoxide and smothered her head with ointment last night. I know is painful for her so trying to not touch. Maybe eventually if still alive cut some feathers away. My son thinks I should put her down. I just love her and if she want to fight I am willing to help. Anything I am missing on helping her?

 

[rockymountain]

Update, in the picture she is actually roosting on the side of a tub. Surprised me better today then this morning. I go out every ten minutes and pet her and give her fluids. She is a very close pet as I have had her for so many years, so petting doesn't upset her at all. I don't have to force just put the syringe next to her mouth and she is drinking a lot easier during the day.

 

[rockymountain]

I'm sorry to hear about your losses.

I do hope your girl pulls through.
When one is injured like this, just about anything you can get into them for the first few days is pretty good. You can try syringing a wet slurry of her normal feed, but if she's accepting the oatmeal that's o.k. too. Getting her through shock, keeping her hydrated and bodily functions working are key. Other enticements might be egg, rice with a little buttermilk, some seem to be keen on watermelon or tomato - maybe it's the color of the food, I don't know.

Are her eyes damaged? Keeping ointment on those (and a dot in each eye too) to help keep them from crusting over can be helpful. You can apply triple antibiotic ointment or Terramycin ointment.

As for the Oxy, it sounds like you were able to get one of these (in the thread below). Some packaging did have dosing for poultry while others didn't. So you may want to glance through the thread linked below to see if you are target with your dosing.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/oxytetracyline-and-tetracycline-powder-doses.1022878/

She made it thru the night. Appears she walked around by seeing where she has pooped a couple more times. Just gave her water and she is drinking it from the syringe. Also mixed up some scrambled eggs and tried to feed her. She wouldn't eat much. Her eyes look fine. She was able to focus on me. I will try tomatoes in awhile.

 

[Shadrach]

She looks in a bit of a mess poor girl.
The good news, it's mostly skin and feathers from what I can see from the picture. She should recover provided there are not any other injuries and the wound doesn't become infected.
Buy some Chlorhexedine spray and don't use hydrogen peroxide any more. One it stings like mad and two it cauterizes all those little blood vessels that should grow back together.

What antibiotics are you giving her and how much? It might be better to pick up some triple antibiotic ointment for the future.
Forget about the ACV, but a vitamin supplement is a good idea.
If you can find Metacam then that would be my choice for a painkiller.

 

[rockymountain]

Just recently went in to give her fluids and made some soupy chicken food mixed with electrolytes. She was laying down and after I started giving her fluids she stood up and was a willing chicken drinking from the syringe next to her side of beak. She drank a lot. I did give her time to finish swallowing as do not want to choke her. I also gave her solid food mixed water and she did eat this as well. I was happy to see she is being so willing with this and to stand up, made me happy. Her strength seem better today. Such a fighter for life. I do have pumpkin wondering if I should add this to her food, will it help? I am glad both her eyes are looking fine as she is now wide eyed and not droopy as before. She is only eating very watered down stuff at this point.

 

[rockymountain]

From the attack last Friday, my hen, Spots, is doing so well. I have been syringe feeding her antibiotics as well wet food. I did this morning, and she is not liking it when I do it. Well, I went in recently to do it again. She pranced all over, like look at me I am doing well. She then went to her regular water dish and kept drinking over and over than looking at me like leave me alone, I am drinking. She is communicating with me. She has done this for years. Telling me to leave her alone. When she was being brooder, I put two baby chickens under her. She was the best mom, and when they got older, she jumped up and down continually trying to tell me she wanted the babies on the ground. I moved the whole set up to ground level. In a chicken way of communicating is very interesting and love it. She is so smart reaching out to tell me how she is doing. I can tell she is also feeding on the wet feed, as all over her beak. Not sure if this makes sense to the general but she is extremely smart and has learned to communicate. This is why I just love this chicken as she is so different and will go the extra effort to communicate. Just not use to this with all my other chickens as they are only treat driven.

 

[rockymountain]

I set a camera up in the coop, and bait, well the raccoon got in again. OMG I see a big hole from one coop to the other. So somehow the coon is finding a way in the first coop which we thought secured and then dug in the ground to access the second coop. I am not putting my other healthy two chickens in there until secured. I am wondering if the coon is in the dog house hiding. We didn't check when we locked up this side of the coop. Anyway Spots is doing so good. I go in every half hour and giving her liquids, plus chicken food diluted. She is taking everything I give her by syringe. She is no longer heavy breathing and is standing longer. Eyes look good as well. She does need cleaning up and some feathers cut on her head but I am just concentrating keep her alive at this point.

 

[rockymountain]

Spots is still doing well, and letting me syringe feed still. Her poop is becoming solid form. She does have some damaged feathers and a piece of her neck hanging Gross. She doesn't like me touching certain areas. Tomorrow I will try to trim some of the damage hanging down. Her chest area is something I might have to wait on. Again I don't see any blood around her chest. She really needs a bath to clean her up, but at this point I really don't want to cause further stress. I am just glad she is eating and drinking at this point but only by me feeding her by syringe. Once she starts eating on her own I will address other issues. Just getting her strength back. Well she made it to four days of surviving her injuries.

 

[rockymountain]

She is acting like a chicken again running around found my bucket of her regular dry feed bucket and eating from it. So I gave her a lower dish and added some sunflower seeds as her favorite treat, she must not like the wet feed anymore. I haven't checked the chicken coop yet to see if I caught the coon yet.

 

[rockymountain]

Here is the latest picture of Spots healing process so far. As you can see her wattle, the color is good, her other one is gone as well her crown.