Fox attack please help!

[Celcampbell23]

We had a fox attack this morning. 3 of my 6 chickens made it out without any harm. 2 are missing (hoping they’re hiding somewhere I keep periodically checking for them to resurface). The only one who I believe the fox was able to catch before we spooked him and he ran off was my 10 week old chick.

She lost a lot of feathers but no blood. She isn’t able to walk through. She can move her legs. It’s like she can stand up but then hobbles over and has to catch herself with one of her wings, then ends up sitting back down. She has pecked around at food and water. I have her inside with me. I feel so terrible for her. Is there any hope that she makes it?

Anyone with fox experience know about how long before he comes back for round 2?

 

[Eggcessive]

The fox will return again today or tonight, since they found a food source. Lock up your chickens in their coop and run. Make sure they have no way of digging under the fence or getting in a hole or over a fence. Sorry that you have lost two. Hopefully they will be found safe. Look her over for any puncture wounds especially under wings and feathers. Wounds may be cleaned with saline, chlorhexidene, Vetericyn or a similar wound spray from the feed store. Then when dry, apply plain triple antibiotic ointment twice a day. Watch for signs of infection, such as redness, a bad odor, or abscess and swelling. Hopefully she has not had internal injuries from squeezing. Right now keep her separated, treat wounds, and offer fluids first, then both dry and wet feed, plus a bit of egg. Sugar water or electrolytes can be helpful at first. Please post any pictures of the wounds.

 

[AnnPann]

We had a fox attack this morning. 3 of my 6 chickens made it out without any harm. 2 are missing (hoping they’re hiding somewhere I keep periodically checking for them to resurface). The only one who I believe the fox was able to catch before we spooked him and he ran off was my 10 week old chick.

She lost a lot of feathers but no blood. She isn’t able to walk through. She can move her legs. It’s like she can stand up but then hobbles over and has to catch herself with one of her wings, then ends up sitting back down. She has pecked around at food and water. I have her inside with me. I feel so terrible for her. Is there any hope that she makes it?

Anyone with fox experience know about how long before he comes back for round 2?

I'm sorry - how traumatic! I hope your others are just hiding and show up today. We lost a chick to a fox in June, after it tried to take another very large hen. In the process of trying to take her, it put 6 pretty large puncture holes in her and broke her wing. She spent a couple of weeks living inside in a large dog crate and made it. She's lopsided now b/c the wing didn't heal right. She's slower, can't fly very high, and doesn't have great balance b/c of the wing. But she made it, and is still her feisty self otherwise. Even laid a few eggs this summer. So she has a chance of making it.

Great advice on treatment from Eggcessive - it's pretty much exactly what I did when it happened to us this summer. I know you said no blood, but my hen had very little blood around her wounds either - just holes. Check her carefully for puncture wounds that need cleaning and treat for shock, and then keep her safe and comfortable for a while to observe.

The fox will be back tomorrow. Keep everyone locked up for a few weeks.