Racoon massacre of at least 5 roosted hybrid layers last night. One shocky this morning; husband left near food/water. Found her tonight standing in the sun with the rest of the flock, drooping head/neck, egg and frankly bloody stool nearby. Betadine solution to scalp with exposed skull bone. Also rinsed skin tears around wing joint. Crop is pretty full, looks a bit bruised. Drank sugar water from syringe and dish; refluxed some along with a little grit. Applied fly repellent wound salve and isolated indoors. What next? Thanks for replying.
Systemic antibiotics (injectible penicillin) or she may get a massive internal infection despite the external cleaning. She sustained a lot of damage and probably is in shock. Bloody poop and egg means she bled internally into her digestive and reproductive tract. Good luck with this, she may recover. We'll hope. Quote:
Thank you both; no one has ever replied to my questions before on this forum. Update: not sure how to do neuro checks on a chicken, but I'm concerned shes neurologically devastated. Can not lift her head, shuffles backward with moderate stimulation, one eye open and the other closed, drinking/swallowing seems reflexive as she'll drink quite a lot. I don't have access to systemic antibiotics at this hour so am faced with that horrible decision to end this for her or let her struggle through the night and re-assess in the morning. The other hundred were scared to roost in their coop tonight. Feel terrible for them and ashamed for not protecting them better. 2-year-old coop and this is our first predator breach.
So sorry to hear about your hen. I can't offer help, but I will be thinking of her. Please keep us updated.
You can order penicillin Procaine G and hypodermic needles/syringes online at First State Veterinary (they're in Delaware). They ship quickly and you can opt for one of the express delivery services. http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/ If not for this unfortunate hen, then for future use. It's handy to have Procaine for bumblefoot and other infections that respond to injected antibiotics. An extra bonus: They have The Chicken Doctor there, and he can answer difficult questions.
