Chickens for almost a year.. first massacre yesterday. :(

[Alaskan]

the pointy bone below the vent would be part of the hip bones...the breast bone is below the neck.

 

[carcar80]

Ugh. Well I sprayed the holes. She didn't like it a lot but I did what I could. Hubby held her for me, he is most unenthused, lol. Looks like a losing battle over a $3 chicken, he says. Which actually sounds about right, but I told him I have to at least try.

 

[Alaskan]

did you check all of the others very carefully? I wonder if any more are wounded, but are simply hiding it.

 

[carcar80]

LOL!! Alaskan true.. I guess I'm trying to compare it to human anatomy. I was thinking along the lines of xiphoid process, hence my wanting it to be a "chest" thing.

 

[carcar80]

I did get a look at Steve, the SLW roo. He is only missing tail feathers. Looks like they are his laying around the yard after all.. About to check the others while they're sleeping, good idea.

 

[carcar80]

Everyone is good. Re-checked my Black Star, hers is still just a bald patch by her tail, no skin break. Steve has a big bald spot, actually but no skin break. BR roo is missing a few tail feathers but no skin breaks, and my little BO just has a ruffled-looking spot on her back, could be from yesterday or from mating. (sometimes BR roo likes to spot them from 50 yards, come RUNNING over, and grab what he can before the girls get away, lol. So romantic!)

The only one completely unscathed is my prissiest and smallest/youngest girl, the SLW. She's sittin' pretty as ever. LOL

 

[sue turpin]

Gosh, I'm so sorry to hear of your awful experience. We are having skunks almost daily and bought a live trap tonight. Have been told the skunks want my birds and their eggs, they can't have them.

As far as your Birds injuries. I have a neighbor who has had chickens forever. She told me that a possum will go straight for the vent, start eating there and just keep going. Because of your Rhodies injuries, I wonder if that could be the problem? I suppose it doesn't much matter but wanted to help somehow.

We have set our trap with some great, stinky cat food. My poor dog would be glad to have the skunk gone, he has been sprayed twice this year already. Enough. Well, I wish you all the best, and your lovely RIR. Sue.

 

[tam4k9]

Can you bathe her bottom in warm water with a little Epsom salt? Kinda soak it like you would a horse's hoof when it abcesses? I'm totally learning here, I'm very new to chickens, but I was a Vet Tech for several years, but we never had chickens come into the office. We mostly saw dogs & cats, but I had horses at the time.

Anyways, I hope you won't have to cull her, very sad, this is one of the reason I'm a little nervous about when I get my chickens. I hope she turns around.

 

[Angelicisi]

Bacon would work possibly!...or a soft fatty meat (but you'd be introducing a new slew of bacteria to the wound). Maggots are FAST. They are found within 6 hours on dead wildlife and its a misconception that they only eat bad flesh (doctors use them to remove infected tissues) they in fact feed on any flesh that's why they need to go before the get to deep causing more wounds. They may have helped remove infected flesh already, but still have to go. I found a baby wild hare covered in them this spring, it was the most disgusting thing I've seen, I almost put the baby down I was soooo grossed out. Then I decided to try at least I 'vurped' over n over picking while rinsing/dunking in a tub of saline solution I had in a first aid kit. Then used an old toothbrush (washed and dipped in vodka) to "brush the rest away)
Bunny survived. So maggots can be dealt with, its a pain in the butt and grosser than gross but that wild bunny loves us for it

there was that TV show  (OK, so maybe not at all based on reality...who knows, I don't)  but they put a piece of bacon on the guy that had some maggots too deep inside him to easily pull out.  They left the bacon on the wound for maybe 20 minutes and then gently pulled up the bacon, the maggots had left the guy's flesh and attached themselves to the bacon.

that might work better than vinegar or bleach which will upset them and maybe, instead of getting them to die or let go and fall off, will make them burrow deeper into the flesh to run away.

Totally guessing though.....I have no experience with this

 

[Angelicisi]

It sux. Sometimes culling is the answer. Suffering taken into consideration.
It also feels good to save a bird for you and the bird.

I *try* my best to save, if I see worsening condition or somethin that'll harm other flock members, I cull. And still, always shed a tear I'm able, but don't like to. Especially ones I hatch or raise.

Ugh. Well I sprayed the holes. She didn't like it a lot but I did what I could. Hubby held her for me, he is most unenthused, lol. Looks like a losing battle over a $3 chicken, he says. Which actually sounds about right, but I told him I have to at least try.