Hawk Attacked Head

[Boonie Stomper]

Just about roosting time. Hawk was still there. Bloody head. Slight gaping and repeated tongue and beak gestures like trying to spit something out of mouth or maybe something in throat or trachea possibly blood. Eye on 1 side closed and head bloody.

Also lost flight feathers on 1 side.
Do I let her roost and clean up in the morning?
I put her up in her spot and some water and BOSS.

 

[azygous]

Yes, you need to flush the wounds immediately or infection will start in, and you really do not want to have to deal with that, trust me.

If you have saline, that would be the best since the face and eye is involved. But a no tears baby shampoo would work with some warm water. You want to flush away any dirt and bacteria.

The best product for this purpose is Vetericyn spray. It will help heal, build new tissue and protect against infection, and it's very easy to use. Spray the wounds three times a day. If you can, smooth on some antibacterial ointment after the Vetericyn dries. Keeping the wounds moist will hasten healing and prevent infection.

 

[MyChickens14]

clean, flush and disinfect that bloody wound. then isolate her in a cage and make sure she's drinking and eating. once it's all cleaned up, you'll be able to see how extensive her injuries are. also, if you want you can give some antibiotics. Btw I am not an expert in any way but from what i've heard in the past from other BYC members, that should be some good way of treatment.
I heard that herbs help with stress and honey, Vaseline or antibiotic cream/ointment can help with infection.

 

[micstrachan]

I know you don’t want to disturb her, but I highly recommend bringing her in, cleaning her up, and Kerri g her sleep inside tonight. Her flockmates could peck at those wounds, which are bad enough on their own. Poor Missy! How did hawks get her twice?

 

[MyChickens14]

also keep her warm

 

[sevenfatcows]

Hawks' talons are very filthy. If you can, it would be a good idea to start some antibiotics right away. One of my largest roosters, a white Jersey Giant, battled a hawk, and won, about three weeks ago. We could find no visible blood or wound of any kind on the brave Guido, but he became ill a few days later. We think there may have been some tiny puncture that we did not see that allowed an infection to develop. He did recover, but was pretty low for about 10 days.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

TEARS OF JOY!!
After 2-1/2 hours this morning of cleaning . inspecting . dribbling . coaxing . using syringe and otber approaches to get sustenance into her, I got the cup of birdseed and tossed in all the spilled stuff from earlier. Missy stared over and over pointing her right eye at the seeds and stuff obviously trying to see through the puffy eyelids. After a seeming eternity, she began attempting to pick, found she could almost keep hold of a bit, then took the plunge and ate like there was no tomorrow! YAY!!!
Afternote... she also gave me a little somewhat dry "gift" after about a golf ball's worth of crop filling.

 

[Lifewithchicks]

I would bring her in for the night

 

[ChickNanny13]

Agree w/MyChickens14, she called the Calvary

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Thanks everyone! Missy is roosting normally so I have decided to check every 2 hours without disturbing her unless something further develops.

She was attacked two separate times today by two different hawks. I think rest is best for now plus the bleeding will flush the wound and scab. At first light or sooner if necessary I will wash and evaluate and treat as appropriate.