HELP! Chicken attacked by racoon - healing but need words of wisdom

[meishka]

I have four silkie hens of my own but am nursing back to health a friends barred rock hen who was attacked by a raccoon last week. She has some major head wounds - all on the right side of her head. Her right eye was injured in the attack and has since 'healed over" to where it is closed. before you could see the eye but not sure if the eye itself was damaged or just the area around it was. I have no idea if the eye is functional.

She is living comfortably in a large dog crate and sleeping most of the day and drinking the water with antibiotics that I have given her but not eating or pooping much. Her crop is a healthy red color but has flopped to one side. My big question is, do I try to help her wounded eye open (perhaps it is closed shut with dried fluid and would benefit from a compress) or do I just leave it alone? We don't have a local vet that deals with chickens so I'm not sure what the best thing to do is. Does anyone have any words of wisdom or experience with this sort of thing?

Can a one-eyed chicken survive in a pampered chicken environment? Can they be reintroduced into the flock?

 

[Judy]

I would put neosporin or ophthalmic ointment on the eye every day, to help prevent infection. It will also soak the crusts or scabs off, in time, if this is what is keeping the eye closed. I would not force it open.

She should be fine in the flock with only one eye. Plenty of others have been.

 

[meishka]

thank you so much for your input. This is our first injured hen so not sure what to expect. the neosporin is an excellent idea as far as I can tell no sign of infection. all her wounds seem to have scabbed over and there is no redness or swelling. we are keeping our fingers crossed that mother nature and time will heal her.

 

[meishka]

just wanted to give an update on my injured hen. after about 2 weeks of antibiotics, sleeping and healing she emerged from the dog crate with wounds scabbed, wounded eye completely shut but healed and ready to take over the backyard....much to my silkies dismay. all has settled down and they finally let her roost with them for the first time last night and she laid an egg this morning. Thinking that laying is a sign of good health we are going to try to get her back into her own flock this weekend.

the one eye blindness doesn't seem to affect her although she gets startled easily if approaching her from the blind side which is understandable.