Chicken with gunshot wound

[Mamahen71]

So yesterday morning at 4 am I hear a chicken screaming. I wake hubby, run to coop and everything is shut tight still.

Coop is an old garden type shed, probably 50-60 years old. It is 8x6 with two windows. SInce it's summer I have metal grates on the windows. Metal, not wire. Door is handmade, not a tight fit, but probably a 2 inch gap on the bottom. Maybe a bit smaller.

Anyway - I want to fling door open but don't - & hubby shines flashlight in first. Fur. I'm thinking possum, because I had to cull one 2 weeks ago that was there in the daytime trying to drag a laying hen away. I slowly open the door maybe 3 inches and a pointy nose sticks out, hubby aims the pistol.....and my freedom ranger flies into the door at that moment.

We see it's a raccoon now...I open the door and grab hen and slam it shut again. Hubby shoots raccoon thru the window. Raccoon also fatally wounded a blue laced wyandotte pullet.

Other hen has a through & through wound from the shot. Through wing, top of back & out thigh. I cleaned with betadine, sprayed blu-kote & alushield (wish I would've not done that one). She hasn't eaten anything since 6/25 (two days now). She "can" sort of stand and seems to have feeling in both leg & feet. I gave her a dose of amoxicillian & B complex today. Got 10 cc of electrolytes in yesterday. Today she won't swallow, lets the water dribble out. I would really like to wash off the alushield - but it mustn't come off easily?

She is very droopy - will wake when I talk to her and is alert. But in my gut - she's given up. Diarrhea, too. But did not poo today.

I did spray fly spray on her box and towel I laid over her. I don't want to deal with flystrike on top of this.

Ok, long story short - has anyone ever had a gun shot chicken? One through the body?

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm guessing she's pretty torn up inside, most likely a bowel perforation. Given that likelihood and her behavior, I think I'd cull her .

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm guessing she's pretty torn up inside, most likely a bowel perforation. Given that likelihood and her behavior, I think I'd cull her .

I'm sorry about your hen.

I agree with @lazy gardener if you look at chicken anatomy, a through and through wound tore up quite a bit.
In this particular situation, I would cull her. It sounds like she is in misery.

Other hen has a through & through wound from the shot. Through wing, top of back & out thigh.

 

[Mamahen71]

I wanted her to have every chance But I know it's probably a long shot. I do have her in total darkness, if that would make a difference in demeanor? I've never had a chicken this injured.

I thought she died yesterday when it happened. I was holding her and she relaxed. I set her down on the ground to hold the spotlight & she jumped up.

If she is worse, or at least no better - we will set her at ease tonight. Such a shame.

 

[PirateGirl]

I am sorry this happened while protecting your flock. You surely saved the lives of the others by getting to the raccoon so quickly. Unfortunately there is no way to know what internal injuries she may have. If you are not ready to give up, the best you can do for now is keep her calm and provide food and water. If she cannot eat/drink/digest, there are surely problems inside. If she is not starting to come around in the next 24 hours, unfortunately she may not be able to recover.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

I agree with lazy gardener, and it seems like you did all you could to save your hen! I wish I was that smart to have the medication and electrolytes for my chickens in need!

 

[Nambroth]

So sorry that this happened. Depending on the pistol and the rounds used, it's possible that the shot caused cavitation as well when it passed through her, and this type of damage is catastrophic. Even if not, there are a lot of vitals in this region. Keeping her in total darkness surely will change any chicken's demeanor as they cannot eat or drink in the dark (they can't see, their night vision is worse than our own). I am not saying her survival is impossible, but in honesty the only way to find out how much damage was done would be to take her to the vet for testing or imaging, which I understand is not always possible for everyone with chickens. Normally I always suggest trying to save them as chickens are amazing at healing, but a gunshot wound through the abdomen is really bad news... if you can't take her to be seen and she is unable to eat or drink, you might consider that helping her pass away might be a kindness.

 

[Mamahen71]

So sorry that this happened. Depending on the pistol and the rounds used, it's possible that the shot caused cavitation as well when it passed through her, and this type of damage is catastrophic. Even if not, there are a lot of vitals in this region. Keeping her in total darkness surely will change any chicken's demeanor as they cannot eat or drink in the dark (they can't see, their night vision is worse than our own). I am not saying her survival is impossible, but in honesty the only way to find out how much damage was done would be to take her to the vet for testing or imaging, which I understand is not always possible for everyone with chickens. Normally I always suggest trying to save them as chickens are amazing at healing, but a gunshot wound through the abdomen is really bad news... if you can't take her to be seen and she is unable to eat or drink, you might consider that helping her pass away might be a kindness.

It was a 380 pistol. The bullets do not expand....but still

 

[Doc7]

I would say there’s no chance at a chicken recovering from a close range .380 round. I thought we were talking about a 22 here. Even without expansion there was definitely a cavitation wound channel formed.