Hawked

[Coopee]

One of our chickens was attacked by a hawk. I heard the others clucking loudly and went to see what was wrong. When I got outside there were feathers on the ground and my favorite chicken, Speckles, on the ground and I thought she was dead, because she was laying over on her side. I saw her blink and picked her up and took her inside and placed her in a lined basket. There was no visible blood or damage, but she is just sitting/laying there. I know there could be internal damage, like spinal injuries or such, but it could also be fear induced paralysis. If it is fear induced paralysis does anyone know how long it could last? It happened earlier today, but I don't really know what to do for her at this point.

So the big question is how long could this last and has anyone had a similar occurrence?

 

[Maxamus]

So sorry, one of my friends chickens was attacked by a hawk and was in fear paralysis for hours.

 

[Coopee]

Thanks for the concern. She is doing a little better now, but still just laying/sitting in the same little basket. I will take her outside tomorrow if she does not pass in the night and put her back in the coop. Do you know how many hours the chicken was paralyzed for after the attack?

 

[Eggcessive]

She may be in shock. I would let her be for a few hours, then offer her electrolyte water and some scrambled egg with her chicken feed. If she hasn't started acting normal by morning, I would try offering her some food and water, but if she is internally injured, she may not survive. Keep her inside and warm, until she becomes active.

 

[Coopee]

Thanks for the advice, I will give it a whirl. She is still setting in her basket, but I am wondering if she is afraid of all the chaos and commotion that is in our house.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you place her in a quiet room with the door closed? Is she moving, or can she stand? Is she pooping? Scrambled egg, a small amount of canned tuna added to moist chicken feed may tempt her to eat. If she doesn't drink soon, you could try to tube feed her liquids, then later KayTee baby bird feed. Here is a link to read about tube feeding with videos: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding