Chicken survived predator attack but can’t walk

[calmeter]

It’s been a week since my hen was found limping. Later that day I found a bunch of feathers so I realized that she had been attacked but survived.

A week later she can’t even stand up. I have kept her isolated and made a sling to put her in for some time during the day. She has a small wound on her side, although it looks dry and does not look infected. (Picture of wound was from a week ago) She has had a couple warm baths with epsom salts, mostly to clean off the poop that she sits in. I have given her baby aspirin and made some electrolyte water for her. She does eat some fruit and some chick feed and scrambled egg.

I don’t know if she has a broken back or if her leg was broken or disjointed, but when I take her out of her tote or out of her sling and set her on the ground it seems that she’s just sitting on her breast bone. Although she is alert and she eats, she does sleep a lot and does not make any effort to move. Food and water has to be hand served.

Is there hope that she will recover? Should she have made some progress in a week?

 

[alinas2010]

Poor darling! Sorry this happened. Are you keeping her inside while she heals?

Have you gingerly felt up and down her leg for anything out of place or swollen? A week isn’t a ton of time for healing, but generally they do start to turn around by the week mark. She may have internal damage you can’t see, though.

Trim her feathers away out of the wound to help it remain cleaner. Any wounds you could’ve missed anywhere?

If you wet down some of her chicken feed into a mash, will she eat some of that? Have you tried placing her in site of the flock or taken her out to visit? This sometimes can dramatically improve recovery. They’re such flock animals. If you do take her out to visit, stay with her and watch that she doesn’t get attacked by others or fly strike.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

WHen you look her over, check for bruising. Chickens bruise green.

 

[calmeter]

Thank you for your reply. She is eating pretty well. I did have her in an outside pen, but discovered ants were attacking her because they were attracted to the food, so I decided to keep her indoors or on my screened porch. When she was outside on the grass while I was cleaning her pen a couple other hens attacked her and she has no way to get away. So isolated she must be. Although she can see the others when she’s on my screened porch.

I have given her a couple baths and when she was drying I laid her on her back and pulled on her legs and she didn’t seem to mind. But when she is right side up and I pick her up or lay her back down she complains because of pain.

 

[calmeter]

WHen you look her over, check for bruising. Chickens bruise green.

I have looked her over pretty well after a bath and when I was blow drying her feather sand didn’t see any bruising. She did feel a little swollen earlier in the week in one area, but I don’t feel it anymore. I just wish she could stand.

 

[alinas2010]

I have looked her over pretty well after a bath and when I was blow drying her feather sand didn’t see any bruising. She did feel a little swollen earlier in the week in one area, but I don’t feel it anymore. I just wish she could stand.

Aw sorry to hear she got attacked. Could you let someone from the flock visit her on the porch for a bit once a day? Maybe that would help. It’s good she is eating.

She may just need time. A lot of times if there are leg injuries, they just need time to recover. The chair sling you made her should help with keeping weight off of it.

How does she do with bathes? They aren’t stressing her out are they? If she seems lethargic at all, giving her a bath may not be a good idea.

Are you putting ointment on the wound once or twice a day? That will help keep her more comfortable. Just make sure it’s the kind without pain relief in it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm not sure baths are productive and may just stress her more. If she needs cleaning, a wet paper towel should be sufficient.