Chicken can’t poop after raccoon attack

[LandL]

Our chicken (approx 8 weeks old) was attacked by a raccoon on Tuesday evening. She has some puncture wounds on either side of her tail feathers, but it appears the organs are intact and mostly skin injuries. She’s been slowly eating and drinking more, showing signs of more energy, etc as days go on.

She had several poops the first two days after the attack, but today I can hear noises when she’s trying to poop, but nothing comes out. It appears the wounds are well above her cloaca, but I could be wrong. We’ve been feeding her anything we can get her to eat, which so far has been applesauce and egg yolk. Suggestions for why she can’t poop? Is there hope for our little chick?

 

[mew317]

Do you have a vet that does birds or chickens? I suggest that you should see if there is something wrong.

 

[micstrachan]

A Vet would be best. However, if she’s dehydrated, she could get backed up. Keep her hydrated, if you can. Do you have coconut oil on hand? Try feeding her little chunks of the solid, and it may help loses things up. Good luck.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @LandL Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry to hear about your pullet.
Can you post some photos of her wounds and vent?
Is her crop empty or full?
If she does poop, a photo of that would be good too.

What is her condition like - is she alert or lethargic? Can she walk?

Do what you can to keep her hydrated. If you have poultry vitamins she may benefit from those. You may also entice her to eat by offering wet chick starter with some chopped egg.

Look forward to your photos and more information.

 

[LandL]

Thanks for all the info. No chicken vet close to us, unfortunately. Sorry about the delayed response- stomach flu hit our house :/

Turns out my chick had pasty butt. I washed and rinsed her vent area as best I could and actually had to cut away some feathers. First-time chicken owner, so this is all new to me. I’m guessing she got backed up from eating too much egg yolk after the attack? We were feeding her anything she’d eat at that point. Hopefully we’re getting better. Just trying to keep infection out of her wounds now. I will definitely try some of the things you mentioned. Thank you!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for all the info. No chicken vet close to us, unfortunately. Sorry about the delayed response- stomach flu hit our house :/

Turns out my chick had pasty butt. I washed and rinsed her vent area as best I could and actually had to cut away some feathers. First-time chicken owner, so this is all new to me. I’m guessing she got backed up from eating too much egg yolk after the attack? We were feeding her anything she’d eat at that point. Hopefully we’re getting better. Just trying to keep infection out of her wounds now. I will definitely try some of the things you mentioned. Thank you!!

So is she pooping o.k. now?
You mention that you are trying to keep infection out of the wounds. Have you noticed infection? What are you putting on the wounds?

If you feel the wounds are getting infected, call your vet to see if they can prescribe some antibiotics. Alternatively, if you live in the US and have a Tractor Supply nearby, they usually carry Penicillin G in the refrigerated section.

 

[LandL]

Pooping is still touch and go. I just rinsed her off again and her underbelly was pretty covered. Her vent itself was clear this time, as opposed to last time I rinsed her off. I can hear her straining to poop also. I’m hopeful that we are making progress since she’s gotten poop all over her under-side since I cleaned her up yesterday??

As far as her wounds are concerned, initially we were just caking Neosporin on the wounds. She started getting this awful smell, which warranted concerns for infection. So for the past two days I’ve been applying an activated charcoal poultice on them.

I’m convinced that the smell is from the caked poop, but my husband feels some of her inner organs might have infection that we can’t see. I may stop at Tractor Supply tomorrow for some Penicillin and give her that, as a precaution. The wounds are hard to see now since they’re covered in black charcoal, but are very small, largest may be size of a pencil eraser. The wounds are right up close to her tail bone and the point where her tail feathers are attached. Which is why I don’t think her cloaca or intestines were injured (I hope anyways).

Being a newbie, I greatly appreciate any advice or knowledge you can share. TIA!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can she stand at all?

You can try putting her in a sling to see if that get her up and out of the poop. Some tolerate a sling, while others freak out. A lot depends on where the wounds are too.
I posted some photos you can also google images of "chicken sling" and find some creative ideas. The one made out of the green tote is simple, but you would want to add a third hole for poop to fall through.

Having an odor is not good. If she is getting soiled, it will be harder to tell if it is that or infection. If you decide antibiotics are needed, look for Penicillin G. You will also need some needles and syringes (TSC has those too). Get 20 gauge needles and the smallest syringes. Dosage is 1/4cc daily in breast muscle 1/4" deep, alternate sides daily. Give for 4days.

 

[LandL]

Thank you Wyorp Rock. She has one injured foot. Still unsure if it’s broken or not. I can’t feel a break anywhere but up until today she hasn’t been putting any weight on the one leg/foot at all. Interestingly enough though, she’s been standing A LOT. She stood the majority of the day yesterday and today. Which is why it seems strange that she’s making a mess of herself when trying to poop. Today she’s putting a bit of weight on the injured foot. I think I will configure a sling for her to take some pressure off, especially since her foot is injured.

And after hearing your advice, I think I definitely will pick up some Penicillin G tomorrow. Thanks for the details on what I need for needles and syringes too.

 

[LandL]

I’ve called around to several area TSC stores. None have Penicillin G or Penicillin specifically for chickens. I had one store tell me over the phone that they have “just plain Penicillin”, liquid injections format, 100 ml bottle. Other stores carry it for cattle or goats but not chickens. Will any of these other forms work or does it have to be Penicillin G?