Hawk attack - swollen eye - help!

[paulinachickies]

Hi everyone,

We had our first (!) hawk attack yesterday. I usually let the chickens free range in my backyard, which is in a suburban area. At about 2:30, I heard some loud clucking noises and turned around, and saw a hawk clutching one of my 4-month old pullets (she was lying completely sideways at this point, on her left side). I ended up throwing whatever I had on hand (turns out, a piece of hardware cloth I was cutting from the run) at the hawk and yelled so loudly that my neighbors definitely think I'm nuts (if they haven't gathered that yet from me talking to my chickens).

Fortunately, no casualties, but I noticed this morning that the pullet that was pinned down on the ground has a swollen eye on her left side (see photos -- sorry for blurriness).


Normal eye

Swollen eye (and concerned friend!)

Should I be worried? Any ointments or recommendations? Not sure if she will tolerate an ice pack or something like that for any pain. She seems mostly fine otherwise -- eating a bit (less than normal though), drinking water, going up and down from the coop to the run.

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Congrats on saving your pretty pullet!!

Her appetite may just be reduced temporarily due to the stress/trauma of the attack. As for her eye, I would rinse with saline if possible and follow with an ophthalmic ointment like Vetericyn Ophthalmic Gel or Terramycin (an antibiotic ophthalmic ointment) just in case her eye was irritated or injured during the attack.

She was very lucky you intervened. Best wishes for her speedy recovery!

 

[paulinachickies]

Thanks so much! I'll try rinsing with saline. Would you recommend putting the gel all over the eyelid, or try to put some on the eye itself? Would a q tip be suitable? Will go to petsmart later today.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thanks so much! I'll try rinsing with saline. Would you recommend putting the gel all over the eyelid, or try to put some on the eye itself? Would a q tip be suitable? Will go to petsmart later today.

I can't tell from the photo if her eye itself is irritated or injured, but either ophthalmic gel/ointment is suitable for use in the eye. When you rinse her eye, you may be able to discern if just the lids are involved...if in doubt, I'd put some of the gel or ointment in her eye, too, as a precaution. A clean q-tip works well to apply.

 

[Henry&Friends]

As long as she is eating and drinking, I wouldn’t worry too badly. I had a guinea who, after a fight, had an eye swell badly. It wasn’t swollen shut, but the guinea held it shut most of the time, acted Lethargic for a few days, but still perked up and ran if you went near it. Two weeks later and he is fine, running around screaming, eating and generally being a nuance, as guineas do.

she’s probably eating less because she’s in shock, if you give her a boost of vitamins (and an egg snack) she may just perk right up.