Hawk Attack - Chick still alive - please advise/help

[Sunny Side Up]

Injured chickens benefit a lot from just being kept quiet in a darkened place, kept warm and their wounds kept clean, kept away from their flockmates & from flies. There's an aerosol bandage called AluShield http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=1&pf_id=16549 that can help for large open wounds that can't be bandaged or stitched. She may not have much of an appetite, or really need to eat as much while she rests & heals. Just make sure each bite & sip is as nourishing as possible, add vitamins & electrolytes to her water, give her cooked egg, but don't force feed her.

I pray that Eagle makes it! She sure will have a story to share with her flockmates!

 

[Kuvasz]

Update on Eagle. She made it through the night and is now standing up, and even walking around. I did take her in her crate up to the chicken house today. (I've only got 9 other chickens, all her egg mates, so thought they might like to know she surivived, and maybe boost everyone's moral.) She is doing pretty well, so even took her out into a dog expen in the yard for a 20 time period. She walked around. but, she's not eating treats today as she did yesterday when she seemed worse! And she seemed to strain to pee this morning...and I've not seen any poop at all. Also, her crop feels full even though she's hardly been eating anything for 24 hours now. So, is she better or worse? I really don't know. I'll be bringing her in her crate back to the house tonight where it's warmer, and will try to get her to eat some boiled egg and drink some electrolyte water...but she's not being so cooperative with my encouraging her to drink today...she's more mobile, and she gets snooty and just turns away when I offer it.

I am most appreciative to all of you here who have written in with your ideas and replies and your good hopes and wishes for my Eagle. Maybe I should take her to the vet tomorrow since it's monday and I won't have to pay the emergency fees? I also don't want her to get all upset and hurt herself even more by thrashing around. She's never liked to be handled, and she's not so fond of it now that she's injured either.

Thanks ya'll.

 

[Kuvasz]

Sunnyside up, thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Eagle. I know they are helping.

 

[Kuvasz]

jersey girl and dd ranch thanks so much for sharing your stories of your hen's getting well after an attack. It's very encouraging to me. thank you.

 

[Kuvasz]

Antibiotic question! -- A lot of what I've read from your posts and from the internet says to put them on an antibiotic.....is that available at a feed store, or do I need a vet prescription for that? thanks!!

 

[Kuvasz]

Is it safe to let chickens drink Sobe vitamin water? It has erythritol as one of the ingredients, as well as real sugar. (I know that in dogs, that sugar free stuff will kill them...so kinda wary.)

 

[chkn]

Boy, that was a close call (it doesn't take a hawk long to get a chickens head off". I think that if the wounds were going to be fatal she'd be going downhill fast.

 

[drumstick diva]

I hope Eagle will do fine. The ones with "attitude" usually do. She was probably exhausted from the stress of her traumatic episode. Rest & quiet can heal alot of things. Maybe she would be tempted my plain yogurt or a mashed hard boiled egg. Some infant Polyvisol liquid vitamins (NO IRON) 3 drops I believe, would be good to give her for a few days also. Sometimes they will gobble it up if dripped onto a piece of grape. I think it might exhaust her more being outside and seeing her coop mates. She might get too worked up wanting to be with them.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
The feed store should carry some sort of powdered antibiotic that you can put in the drinking water. Different types are carried at different stores. Hopefully someone there can advise you as to which kind would work best for this application. Or perhaps your vet can help you make an informed decision. These packets usually have instructions for use with enormous flocks giving the dosage you would use in a watering system that dispenses at a certain rate. You can ask your vet to tell you how much you should use in a small amount of water for one hen.

I'm no expert, but if the wounds aren't deep you may be all right just using a topical antiseptic like Neosporin.

 

[Kuvasz]

Update on Eagle! SHE'S BACK WITH HER FLOCK MATES TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last night she started jumping around in the dog crate I had her in inside my house (since 5 days ago when she was attacked by the hawk.) This morning she was 'talking' to me, chirping, letting me know she wanted to go outside. So, took her up to the coop, let them all out together, and watched them like a hawk (ha).... she didn't get picked on, and in fact was back to picking on the young dominiques again! lol Never thought I'd be glad to see that! She's spending her first night back in the coop with everyone tonight, and she looked just great! Hard to believe that she had so much energy, and was running around the chicken yard, and jumping up on the perches in the chicken coop as if nothing had happened to her in the least!!!! I would've never ever guessed this would be the outcome when I think back to Saturday and carrying her, limp and gasping/rattling for breath to the house, just sitting there crying over her, praying over her, thinking she would die any minute. I guess for those of you who have had chickens for a long time, maybe you're not surprised, but to me, it's a flippin MIRACLE.

I couldn't be happier!!!!! This picture might not show up very well...but I took this through the hardward cloth....after they played in the fenced area, I put them up, and this is them snuggling together over behind the door in the clean wood shavings I'd just put down for them.... Eagle is the buff brahma that is seen in the 'pile' of chickies behind the door. (The light/white brahma standing up is Dandelion, who just narrowly missed the hawk attack herself and ended up stuck up under the shed squawking her head off.)