Hawk attack just now. Need help.

[Stablecoop]

Thank you so much.

I had a hen. Over a year old injure her leg badly. Could stand or walk on it. I gave 1 baby aspirin morning and night. 81 mg each tablet. Just opened her beak and put in into her mouth on top of tongue. She did fine.

 

[WindingRoad]

Thank you. We also decided on no aspirin because we can’t be 100% sure about internal injuries. Thank you so much for your help.

My bird had a cut on her leg when she injured it. I still gave the baby aspirin. The leg did bleed but not anymore when I gave baby aspirin.

 

[WindingRoad]

Thank you. She’s not taking any food, we have tried scrambled eggs, hard boiled yolk, her regular feed... nothing. We have to make her drink water every hour or so via dropper to her beak (not squirted into her mouth tho). She might have part of her jawbone exposed, so she is not taking food and water on her own. Any help is so appreciated.

She is probably in shock from the incident. That's why she won't eat. Water is essential. Keep trying anything she might eat.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you get some more photos?
You mention she's not taking water and you think she may have a jaw bone exposed? Does she have trouble swallowing?

 

[Stablecoop]

Thank you for your reply I will get more photos tomorrow. It doesn’t seem like she is having trouble swallowing but I wonder if the mechanics of moving her jaw are dissuading her from wanting to open her beak. Her jaw is functioning and there is no apparent misalignment. I will get more photos to show you tomorrow and maybe that will help with advisement. Ugh this is the toughest part of it all... when the beloved feathered ones are hurt. She still seems quite subdued, almost dazed. Neurologically she seems fine; responds to stimuli, walks a bit (mostly away from from us when she’s done with the dropper/water bowl being brought up to her beak), shakes her head like a dog shaking off water. Thank you for your help.

Can you get some more photos?
You mention she's not taking water and you think she may have a jaw bone exposed? Does she have trouble swallowing?

 

[Stablecoop]

She does seem in a daze still. How long does the shock last? How much water is essential each day? She really isn’t wanting to take much at all. She took less than a half cup today, and that was with us offering/dropper watering every hour. We have given some probiotics and electrolytes too. What do you think we should do? Thank you again.

She is probably in shock from the incident. That's why she won't eat. Water is essential. Keep trying anything she might eat.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I'm no help but I will be cheering you and your sweet girl on in hopes of making a full recovery.

 

[Stablecoop]

Here are pictures at a more direct angle. The triangular structure in the photo is the structure in question. Is this a part of her ear? And the skin overlay is missing? Is there anything else we should or should not be doing? She is still not accepting very much water. Thank you for your help.

Can you get some more photos?
You mention she's not taking water and you think she may have a jaw bone exposed? Does she have trouble swallowing?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Poor girl!
Does that feel like flesh or more like cartilage or bone?
That her ear area, can you tell if her ear canal is ripped open or is it behind the ear? Any way to see if the skull is open behind there?
The thing with Hawks is they not only rip, but the fly in really hard and hit/stun upon impact. I had one kill a pullet a while back, I think she was actually killed by being hit so hard. I saw the hawk coming in at her, but by the time I got down the steps it was all over her neck was broken.
Anyway. I think you are doing what you can for her. Sometimes a bird is able to recover when they are injured badly like this. Just do the best you can
Getting her hydrated is going to be the most important thing. You can try tubing fluids into her to see if that helps. I would be inclined to also administer and antibiotic. Amoxicillin would be good. Sometimes you can find it at TSC as FishMox, otherwise you will need to order it online. If you happen to have some type of antibiotic on hand already, let us know.


Here's a good tutorial on tubing fluids.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/crop-feeding.75454/

Dose is 57mg per pound of weight given orally twice a day for 7-14 days.
https://fishmoxfishflex.com/collections/amoxicillin-fish-antibiotics
https://www.jedds.com/shop/fishmox/

 

[ChicNmom]

You may want to try something for pain. I had a hen that stopped eating. I took her to the vet expecting something internal and they found she had broken her wing where it attached to her body. Once she had some pain meds she ate like a champ until it wore off.

If you can get her to eat she should pull through. I had a Black Star that got attacked. She had lacerations on her back and lost an eye but fully recovered and is now one of the senior ladies in the group.