Hawk attack

[Lydiamiller]

so I have 14 hens and two roosters who free range. we’ve had a hawk lurking for about three months now, he’s gotten and killed two of our girls so far. Yesterday my husband saw something happening near the coop and thought the roosters were just mating or something, but upon closer look, it was the hawk pinning one of our hens down. He ran out and the hawk flew away. Our hen is still alive but she can’t stand. We put her in the run to see the extent of her inability and she tries to stand and move, but then she somersaults and gets her head stuck under her and it’s so sad to watch. He wings seem okay because she flaps and tries to get around. Our roosters tried to attack her after seeing that she was injured. We have her inside now in a big bin with a towel, food and water. She’s very alert today but is still just laying down. Our local vet doesn’t take chickens and we’re not sure what to do. As for the hawk, after each attack we keep the girls in the run throughout the day and it seems to keep the hawk away, but clearly not for long. Any advice is appreciated

 

[Aapomp831]

I would keep her isolated in an small dog crate where she can’t move around much. This way she has a chance to calm down and you can get a proper assessment of any injuries. Chickens usually go into shock in a situation like this and it can be hard to assess whether there has been extensive damage or if it’s just extreme shock. She may have an injury to the neck and spine from being grabbed by those huge claws from behind. If there are injuries, clean them as well as you can and use Neosporin which doesn’t contain painkiller. I would also make a wet mash out of her food so it’s easy to eat and contains moisture for hydration. Maybe some electrolytes in some fresh water and a little scrambled egg for dinner. Keep her isolated until completely healed as the other chickens will attack -‘they instinctively want to rid the flock of anyone injured or sick bc they attract predators. But right now you need to be in observation mode, while waiting for the shock to subside.

 

[coach723]

Check her over well for any punctures, which can hide in feathers. You can use rolled up towels around her to help her stay more upright and you can put one under her neck to see if it helps. Keep her in a warm, quiet, low light area and let her rest. Try to get some fluids in her, electrolites are good right now. Also plenty of fresh plain water. Room temperature or a bit warm, not cold. Try holding a small dish up to her beak to see if she will take some.