chicken attacked

[kdikeman]

A few days ago one of my girls (I have 3), got attacked by what I presumed was a hawk, she had some feathers missing from the top of her wings, was limping a bit. 2 days in isolation, gave her some baby asprin, fed oatmeal and applesauce, she was back to normal, eating again and running with the others. Then tonight at 3 am our dog is crying, I let her out, and go investigate, find the same chicken right by the house with her back end severely attacked. Yes they have a coop, but for the past 2 years they will not sleep in it unless I put them in. The others were roosting on top of the fence as usual, I moved them inside. Our dog is very protective, she wont come back inside. I assume its a possum, the dog is watching the treetops and fence.

Ive moved the injured bird into the garage, I tried to clean the wound some with diluted peroxide, but she fought me so I didnt want to push. There is a gasping sound coming from her back end, without handling her I cant get a good visual on the state of things, though she is up and moving sort of. Nothing is leaking fluid or dripping blood. She looks awful, not moving much and sometimes stumbles. I dont want to traumatize her more by trying to apply antibiotic cream, that was my next step.

Is there more I can reasonably do for her? I cant justify a vet bill, not when these birds dont have the sense to sleep in safety. They go in the coop to eat and lay, but they hate being trapped in, theyd rather be free range and ive accepted that this is the consequence. I just dont want her to suffer.

I also have a complicated home life, my 9 month old daughter has health problems, requires a ton of special care, and is having surgery next week, and we have a 2 1/2 year old as well who is exhausting on her best days. Im feeling overwhelmed in general, Ive been sleep deprived for months, and now I feel awful about the chicken as well and stayed up all night worrying.

 

[Sjisty]

Hi - I have had chickens attacked by dogs, hawks, etc. What has always worked well for me is to full the sink with warm water, add enough Betadine to make a "weak tea" color, and soak the injured chicken for a few minutes. They seem to relax in the warm water and almost seem to enjoy it. The Betadine can get into the wounds to disinfect them without causing any more pain or injury. You have to make sure they have a nice warm place to dry afterward. I use a cage and a heat lamp.

I'm sorry for all the stress you are going through right now and hope everything turns out well for your daughter.

 

[kdikeman]

Thank you, ill try to get some betadine this afternoon and give that a try if she is still hanging on. Shes sleeping, head under whats left of a wing and breathing slowly. Its hard to describe, but its like when she exhales i can hear the the air whooshing out her rear or side somewhere. I cant see anything well, I dont want to drown her in a bath if she has an open wound to a punctured lung. She definitely does not want to be messed with. We put a call in to a vet we know out of state to assess her chances.

It turned out to be a raccoon, first time ive seen one here, but it came back around 8 am. Imso thankful I put the other 2 away so they were safe from the return. Theyre going to be kept locked up for a while! The dog had come in at 7:30, she patrolled so diligently all night, sensed the raccoon from inside the house and chased it to a tree pretty fast.