Hawk Attacked Head

[micstrachan]

So glad she’simproving! Have you considered tube feeding with flexible tubing? Sounds like she has an appetite, which is great!

 

[aart]

Put some meds in the soft expanded wad of soaked pellets that would not come through the syringe worth a D×%€x&@!!. Fed wad bits one at a time in side of beak.

Yeah, that's a pretty small syringe....if she's eating it in 'wads', that'll do.
Unless you want to get a tubing feeding rig and go that route.
Hopefully she figures out how to get more 'mush' on her own.
Hang in there....Best of cLuck.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Wow, she 'looks' alot better, hopefully will start eating the mush on her own soon. Keep trying with the wet feed, tried cat food yet? You are doing great helping her to heal. Is her under beak normally dark or is it possibly bruising?

My guess is lots of bruising all around her mouth and eye. Hawk may well have had Missy's head in a talon grasp.
This am she's feisty as all get out. Bound and determined to fix things herself fighting my every feeding attempt and refusing to take soft food or dry in a deep cupful which worked yesterday.
ok... she gets her way and back to the coop she resumes same behavior... drinks lot of water and following the others pecking but getting little if any in her. Then Still refusing all my offers.
She may be still working on getting better but insists on doing it her own way, and is stubbornly refusing my help this morning. She's still got fat reserve and strength so....ok....
She is losing some and Donner & Dasher are loving every time i give up with Missy's personal offers and scatter or pour into coop dishes. .. >sigh<

 

[Boonie Stomper]

So glad she’simproving! Have you considered tube feeding with flexible tubing? Sounds like she has an appetite, which is great!

If it comes to that, will try tubing but her jaw and eye would be better witbout additional trauma, I think. And the syringe I have did not have instructions and no instructions for filling then leaks or clogs... would be a last ditch thing if can't maintain progress otherwise.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Since Missy insists she wants to eat with/what the others eat, why not try feeding all wet feed? Just wet their feed into a mash consistency, see what happens....Just a thought.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Since Missy insists she wants to eat with/what the others eat, why not try feeding all wet feed? Just wet their feed into a mash consistency, see what happens....Just a thought.

already did that and still continuing to . .. She's uninterested.
She's a fighter. She's getting better. Now she's able to pick grape sections. The cup of seeds won again too!

See if you can spot it!

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Update!
Today 3/24 Missy's back on the job laying a perfect egg still not 100 %... Not eating a lot, but apparently enough. Have kept putting lots of choices of food moist and dry - enough to satisfy the gluttony of the others and leave plenty for Missy.
Her eye still stays shut so she's a bit slower to eat and is still weak in the beak.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Glad to hear Missy's doing better, I would monitor her weight just to make sure she's getting enough nutrients The others are going to be her buddy, they all get "extras" goodies

 

[aart]

Today 3/24 Missy's back on the job laying a perfect egg

Wow, that's amazing!!
Usually only healthy birds and stress free birds lay eggs, she must be feeling pretty good!

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Final update:
Missy is now officially skinny, laying, and has nearly regained full use of the beak and eye that were damaged.
The eye margin was moistened with dollar store neomycin ointment. No gavage feeding was used. Weight lost about 25% but appetite and eating speed are on the upswing.