help! Hawk attack!

[alistar007]

i was watching my chick in the back eating, when a hawk came down and tried to grab her, i got lucky that the hawk put her down when i went running after it... She has two wounds under her wings, and one of her legs is hurt, is there anything i could do to help her, or ease the pain??

She got worse, her neck is always to the side, she can hardly walk, and she sleeps most of the time. My dad wants to put her down, but i still see hope in her eyes. Should i just end her misery, or still try?? help my banana split please

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

I don't know what could help her, but that is so great that you still have her, and the hawk didn't fly away with her ... whew. good luck!

 

[chickensioux]

So sorry this happened. Lucky for you and her that you intervened. Clean the wounds with a betadine/water solution. You can use non-pain relieving neosporin on them too. If you have other chicks, you may want to isolate this one until she heals. See if she will eat and drink for you. Can she use the hurt leg? I know you can give a baby aspirin for pain but I am unsure of the dose.
Good luck and tell us more about the leg.

 

[alistar007]

she could still use the leg, she eats very little, and she tries not to apply pressure. I had her buddy(another chick that was there at the time) with her so that she doesnt feel lonely, but the other chick keeps stepping on her. I think she's starting to heal, she has her eyes opened more, and she moves alot more as well

 

[chickensioux]

Ok, it sounds like she will be fine in time. It's pretty scary and painful for them as you can well imagine. I'm glad she is using the leg. As long as she eats and drinks for you, I think she will come around. Good luck.

 

[Uppity Peon]

I'm so glad you were able to save her!

I have been hanging old CDs and other shiny things out in hopes of driving raptors away but I don't know how effective it is. My neighbor told me he lost a few chickens to hawks during his first year keeping chickens.

 

[jjthink]

You mentioned you think she's starting to heal - how long ago did this happen?
The wounds - are they deep puncture wounds? If so, more than topical neosporin may be needed.
Make sure she stays hydrated.
How old is she?
If there is no active bleeding and internal bleeding is not suspected, the usual dose of aspirin noted here on BYC is ~1 baby aspirin (no substitues unless known to be okay) crushed per cup of water, fresh batch twice daily preferably.
Hope she'll be okay

JJ

 

[California Ducken]

Keep in mind when hawks attack they grab their prey with an extremely tight grasp and their talons are there to penetrate the prey for a better grasp. Most prey squirm and fight when the hawk is carrying them off so the hawk always uses tremendous force when grabbing and holding, because they only have one chance to grab.
She might have punctured internal organs, so keep a close eye on her.
She is lucky, but not out of the woods just yet.

Follow what jjthink posted.

Good Luck and hopefully your chickie recovers soon!

 

[alistar007]

this happened monday afternoon, and the wounds dont look that deep.. she is about 2-3 weeks old

 

[Emzyyy]

I had a hawk go at my silkie pullet once when I was standing not too far off (looked like eagles/hawks when they catch fish out of the water) anyway he was flying pretty fast off with her and I come running screaming like a wild banshee he looked back as he was flying and dropped her she somehow escaped with no puncture wounds of any sort and I looked at her for a good 15 minutes baffled how she managed. I was thinking maybe the feathers are hard to grip or something? I dunno. Im glad your girl got off w/o worse injuries.

Hope she eats better soon.