Fox attack survivors injured - please help

[ausash]

Something went wrong and my electric fence wire got severed and the fox got in. I am now down by 5-6 chickens (including my mama hen that had 4 babies with her, but they are still alive) and I have two that got away but they have gashes along their back that are about 2 inches by 1 inch and about 1/2 inch deep. Is there anything that I can do for them? They are still walking around but not very enthusastically (hey they were attacked by a fox I would be the same way). My husband will be fixing the electric fence and closing up the hole that they managed to dig under the fence regardless of how well I had enforced the bottom of the fence. I am hoping it was the fox that broke the fence and that he suffered at least a little bit from the electric shock. Any advice would be welcomed.

Thanks.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

aside from tending to their wounds (you can use a wound dressing and i'm sure others have advice on first aide) you should consider locking them up tight in a coop at night - or did the fox attack during the day?!?

 

[Lollipop]

The fox will be back. May be a day or two, but after this big meal wears off, it will return. Get a trap and set it with a couple eggs for bait. most predators will go for an easy meal. If all else fails, PM me for The Recipe..........Pop

 

[CMV]

Where's Glenda when you need her? She's the resident expert when it comes to wound care.

Let's see- electrolytes in their water to treat for shock, protein-rich foods to aid in healing, wound dressing (Neosporin or Blukote or pine tar, NO -caine containing products), keep them warm and dry and maybe separated from the rest of the flock. If the wounds are really nasty you might consider an oral antibiotic, as well as a topical.

That's a good start. Good luck.

 

[CMV]

Back again... How did you clean the wounds? Betadine tea in a turkey baster works pretty well. Peroxide for the initial cleaning is OK, but don't use it again as it actually impedes healing and destroys new skin cells. A half inch deep sounds bad. Have you considered stitching them? That's beyond me, but maybe someone else has some experience with that?

 

[jjthink]

wounds that deep likely require oral or injectible antibiotics to beat back infection. time is of the essence. don't wait. they can definitely heal from wounds likethat with the right treatment. neosporin without pain relief ingredient is okay for surficial wounds but won't generally tackle the more serious, deeper wounds. vet told me for cleansingto use 9 parts water/1 part betadine. pain relief can be aspirin water but not while actively bleeding or if internal injuries are known or suspected (=~1 baby aspirin crushed per cup water, no substitutes without first confirming okay). as noted above, electroltyes for shock. extremely good nutrition while healing, incluing good protein. sorry for my typing - using one finger - broken hand.
jj

 

[pringle]

Quote:
Are you sure that was a fox that did it.it almost sounds like a dog.

 

[ausash]

Ohio- they are currently locked up but our particular fox likes to come during the day, early morning or later afternoon and seems to know exactly when I leave the house in the morning and is known to hunt around 9:00 am after I have left.

Pringle- Oh I am really sure that this is a fox, we have watched it sitting right outside the fence staring at my chickens and envisioning how to get to its dinner. It lives in the 13 acres owned by my neighbor (empty house though) and has its babies there each spring. We actually witnessed the mating this spring in the back 5 acres behind our house. Two years ago this same fox managed to get 17 of our chickens within a month until we put up the electric fence then it quit.

Pop- we are very familiar with this particular fox and its habits. We have tried traps before but not with much luck.

Everyone else- I will try some of your suggestions and see what happens I am hoping for the best.

 

[mcdaid36]

I had the same thing happen about 6 weeks ago. Fox killed 4 and injured one before I got out there to scare it away. The injured one had the same gash on her back as your do, along with some puncture wounds on her neck. When I found her in the woods, I assumed she was dead but then saw her move her head slightly. I picked her up and we fixed up a cardboard box for her in the house where she could be in a dark place and feel safe. I didn't think she'd make it through the night but she did. She couldn't move her head up and down to peck at food or drink. so about once an hour, we'd pour water from one bowl into another and she would catch the falling water to drink. For food, all she would eat were boiled eggs. I cleaned the gash out as best I could and tried to crazy glue it back together (That's what the Emergency Room does for people sometimes instead of stitches or staples, but it didn't work. Eventually it just scabbed over. She didn't want to move for quite a few days, but eventually got better. When she started laying eggs in the box in the house, and the scab on her back was nicely formed, we decided she was ready to go back to the flock. I put some pine tar on her back to keep the other chickens from pecking, and she's been fine ever since. She's made a full recovery!

Good luck with yours, I hope they make a full recovery too!