Chicken breathing heavily after fox attack

[Abriana]

Hey everyone! It has been a *while* since I’ve posted on here

After 8 years of keeping chickens we had our first fox attack yesterday in BROAD DAYLIGHT. Unfortunately our dogs were not outside and we didn’t realize the fox was in the chicken yard until it had killed a bird already (it ran off before he could take her with/eat her, or before we could shoot it, unfortunately).

One bird had blood in her mouth but seems fine now and is acting normal, but my little hen Allassë is not doing very well. She wobbles when she stands, she is breathing very heavily (like opening her beak to breathe) and I can hear a sort of clicking sound at every breath I can’t tell if that’s from her opening her beak or inside. She ate a whole egg last night that my sister cooked up for her, but this morning she isn’t really eating but she drank a lot. She lays favoring her right side a bit more. Right now she’s in my laundry room in a box, she’s been laying with her eyes closed since I brought her in yesterday. I’ve never had experience with a fox attack, could this just be shock and she will be ok maybe after 24 hours has passed? I’m worried the fox broke her back/she has a damaged lung. I don’t want her to suffer if she isn’t going to get better

 

[sourland]

How is she today? Hopefully it was just shock. Get your gun ready. The fox will return.

 

[Abriana]

How is she today? Hopefully it was just shock. Get your gun ready. The fox will return.

It has been 24 hours and she is still breathing heavily and sitting very quietly. I gave her a little nutridrench in her water as well.

And yes, it is ready, don’t worry

 

[coach723]

She may have been shaken or squeezed, those can cause injuries, sometimes internal, that are hard to see. Have you gone over her completely, parting feathers everywhere, looking for any injuries? Punctures in particular can be easy to miss. Bruising may show up later and look dark or greenish. Sometimes it's just very sore and they are inactive for a while. I would try to get some fluids in her. If you've got electrolites use those, give them orally or tube them, alternating with plain, fresh water. Warm the fluids so they are slightly warm, not cold. If you do it orally with syringe, go very slowly and be careful she doesn't aspirate.
this link might help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
Tubing is even safer, if you have the means to do that.

 

[Abriana]

She may have been shaken or squeezed, those can cause injuries, sometimes internal, that are hard to see. Have you gone over her completely, parting feathers everywhere, looking for any injuries? Punctures in particular can be easy to miss. Bruising may show up later and look dark or greenish. Sometimes it's just very sore and they are inactive for a while. I would try to get some fluids in her. If you've got electrolites use those, give them orally or tube them, alternating with plain, fresh water. Warm the fluids so they are slightly warm, not cold. If you do it orally with syringe, go very slowly and be careful she doesn't aspirate.
this link might help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
Tubing is even safer, if you have the means to do that.

I have tried to look for bruising/wounds, I can look more closely though.

I have nutridrench that I can mix with some warm water, she seems to be drinking on her own when she wants to though. She is eating very little. I have tubed in the past but I’ll probably stick to the syringe for now, not sure where my tube is.

 

[Abriana]

She ate a tiny bit of scrambled egg and I got some fluids in her. She is still breathing so heavily which makes me worried

 

[Abriana]

I was checking over her back and her feathers are coming out like crazy around this one specific area, and the difference in skin color is very noticeable. I can’t tell if the area is just swollen, it feels like there may be blood under the skin. I found some spots that could be puncture wounds but they don’t seem very deep.

 

[coach723]

Does the spot feel like fluid or could it be air? She could have a ruptured air sac if it's air, and that could be the reason for the breathing. If it gets bigger, or if the breathing continues to seem labored or gets worse, I would be inclined to release the air. You just use a sterilized sewing needle, apply some antiseptic to the skin, pinch it up between your fingers, and poke a hole in just the skin with the needle to release the air. Then apply a dab of plain triple antibiotic ointment or plain neosporin to the spot. It may have to be done more than once if it fills again. Releasing the air and the pressure on the sac may allow it to heal. Sometimes it will resolve on it's own, so it's kind of a judgement call on your part if you think it's time to intervene.
Here is one article that talks about it:
https://centerforanimalrehab.org/first-aid-and-your-pet-bird/

 

[Abriana]

Does the spot feel like fluid or could it be air? She could have a ruptured air sac if it's air, and that could be the reason for the breathing. If it gets bigger, or if the breathing continues to seem labored or gets worse, I would be inclined to release the air. You just use a sterilized sewing needle, apply some antiseptic to the skin, pinch it up between your fingers, and poke a hole in just the skin with the needle to release the air. Then apply a dab of plain triple antibiotic ointment or plain neosporin to the spot. It may have to be done more than once if it fills again. Releasing the air and the pressure on the sac may allow it to heal. Sometimes it will resolve on it's own, so it's kind of a judgement call on your part if you think it's time to intervene.
Here is one article that talks about it:
https://centerforanimalrehab.org/first-aid-and-your-pet-bird/

I have sterile needles that I could use. It definitely feels like there could be air or fluid in there. I will check again in the morning and see if she’s still breathing labored, if so I will try to release the air.

 

[Abriana]

I lanced the spot and felt air coming out! So I guess she must have a ruptured air sac, I’ll keep a close eye on it and lance it again if needed. She is still not really eating but I may try bringing her outside tomorrow and bringing another one of my hens over and see if some competition for the treats makes her eat. She’s still breathing harder than normal and is having trouble standing, I’m hoping she’s just sore and needs a bit more rest.