Hawk attack

[CMV]

Hi All-
I'm a new member today, but I've been reading info on this site for 1.5 years. I've never really needed any specific info until today. I had a 1 y.o. Wyandott hen get attacked by a Cooper's hawk yesterday. I thought it was a fatal attack as all I found was feathers and a large hunk of skin left. This morning I found the hen outside her house with a devastating wound on her lower back. I brought her inside, caged her, cleaned the wound with saline and covered the 4x4 inch wound with Neosporin. She does not appear particularly distressed. She's standing and was walking around when I found her. She has not consumed any food or water that I know of since I found her, nor has she voided. The wound has surprisingly little blood involved, but the skin is completely gone. The hawk's talon's appear to have just ripped away a large patch of skin, but hopefully did not actually puncture any organs and although the fatty layer under the skin is visible there does not seem to be any muscular damage. My question is this- can she survive this injury? Is the wound likely to close up considering its size? If anyone can offer some advice I'd appreciate it.

 

[Judy]

If you can get fluids, then some wet foods in her, she very well might. The other thing she probably needs are some antibiotics by mouth or by injection, which hopefully you can get from your feed store. The wound can heal by gradually becoming covered over with scar tissue. Chickens don't void; urates are excreted in poo; that is the whitish patches on the poo.

I'd dropper some water or, better yet, electrolytes into her (from the feed store, or watered down Gatorade, or Pedialyte,) then I'd read up on here about what people offer to get them to eat and drink -- hardboiled egg, yogurt by itself or mixed with her feed come to mind offhand. But I've never been through this, just read about it.

You did fine with the immediate care. Next is fluids. And good luck.

 

[n-da-woods]

Hello and

from NC

 

[Mahonri]

Sounds like you are doing everything right, but you've got to get her to eat.

 

[applefalls]

Welcome from MD.
Sorry to hear about the attack.

 

[Jolyn]

I'm sure you know this but make sure there is no pain relief stuff in the Neosporin. Only use the regular kind.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

from TN