HELP! An animal attacked my hen! WARNING GRAPHIC PICTURES

[chickentenderbunny]

Hello, please help! I heard a strangled cry of a chicken and ran outside quickly. I soon found out that one of my hens went missing and I frantically looked everywhere for her. Since I couldn't find her in my backyard or around my neighbors, I gave up until my mom came home. When she got back, she immediately found her in our chicken coop and said that she was hurt. When I went out to grab her from the coop, the injuries are much worse than I thought.

The feathers on her back are almost gone and she suffered quite a bit of damage on her tail as well as in the neck area. Can anyone please give any advice and treatment?!? I've never treated wounds this badly on my chickens before. ( The treatment I've done so far is neosporin ointment (I plan to buy the spray version tomorrow) and wrapped her body with a cloth. I plan on keeping her in the house with me until her wounds heal.


Thankfully she's drinking water and eating (she's been eating yogurt, corn, noodles, and the standard chicken grains.)

I'm not sure what attacked her, but my parents and I all have separate guesses. My dad thinks it was a cat, my mom thinks its a mouse, and I think it's a dog. :/

 

[AmyJane725]

Sorry your girl is hurt.

For starters, I'd flush the wound out really well with betadine or saline at least.

Now, I can't quite tell from the photos, does she have chunks missing, or just flaps ripped open that have edges that meet up again?

 

[Swampgal]

Hello, please help! I heard a strangled cry of a chicken and ran outside quickly. I soon found out that one of my hens went missing and I frantically looked everywhere for her. Since I couldn't find her in my backyard or around my neighbors, I gave up until my mom came home. When she got back, she immediately found her in our chicken coop and said that she was hurt. When I went out to grab her from the coop, the injuries are much worse than I thought.

The feathers on her back are almost gone and she suffered quite a bit of damage on her tail as well as in the neck area. Can anyone please give any advice and treatment?!? I've never treated wounds this badly on my chickens before. ( The treatment I've done so far is neosporin ointment (I plan to buy the spray version tomorrow) and wrapped her body with a cloth. I plan on keeping her in the house with me until her wounds heal.

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Thankfully she's drinking water and eating (she's been eating yogurt, corn, noodles, and the standard chicken grains.)

I'm not sure what attacked her, but my parents and I all have separate guesses. My dad thinks it was a cat, my mom thinks its a mouse, and I think it's a dog. :/

 

[Swampgal]

As awful as this is, she can survive! We had this happen too. We used generous amounts of first aid solution ( get to your feed store/ supplier) and kept her in a dog crate hospital in our basement with lots of TLC and treats. Eventually we took her in the crate to the run so she could socialize. It took a month to recover. Then we had to monitor for bullying by the others and even traded out a couple of mean girls. Henry Penny lived to brood more chicks. Good luck!

 

[Abby2]

I would take her to a vet ...she may need stitches in her injury.

 

[littlepip]

There are success stories with this kind of thing, however is a vet is available and not too expensive, I would take her in. I had a duck with a leg injury (We think it was a sprain), so we called the vet and they told us it would be $200 for analysis (x-ray etc.), but probably around $100 more for his treatment. Hopefully someone with experience can walk you through this.

 

[slordaz]

@casportpony
@oldhenlikesdogs
@aart

it's a good sign she is eating and drinking, I personally wouldn't cover the wounds just clean them for now , not awake enough just yet as no coffee so tagged some eggsperts

 

[BantyChooks]

I've treated worse at home, and the bird did end up surviving. I agree that the wound should be flushed quite well. If there's any feathers or other debris inside, pull it out. Clip or pluck any feathers in the immediate area of the wound so they don't brush inside and contaminate it. Wounds must be warm, clean, and have blood flow to heal. I'm not entirely sure what angle the photos show, but from what I can see I think stitches or wrapping would be a bad idea due to the bacteria that would be left in the cavity with ideal conditions for multiplying.

Disclaimer—I am not a vet.

 

[chickentenderbunny]

Sorry your girl is hurt.

For starters, I'd flush the wound out really well with betadine or saline at least.

Now, I can't quite tell from the photos, does she have chunks missing, or just flaps ripped open that have edges that meet up again?

Okay thank you very much!

To be honest, it's a little hard for me to tell as well. But from what I observe when she stretches her neck out to eat, I think maybe flaps ripped open??

 

[chickentenderbunny]

As awful as this is, she can survive! We had this happen too. We used generous amounts of first aid solution ( get to your feed store/ supplier) and kept her in a dog crate hospital in our basement with lots of TLC and treats. Eventually we took her in the crate to the run so she could socialize. It took a month to recover. Then we had to monitor for bullying by the others and even traded out a couple of mean girls. Henry Penny lived to brood more chicks. Good luck!

I'm so glad to hear that your chicken pulled through. It gives me hope that mines got a fighting chance too! Thank you kindly