HELP! Injured pullet

[ashleyyniicolle]

Hi! I had my pullets attacked by a hawk. One didn’t survive but the other was badly injured. She has a small cut under her neck and a larger one on top of her head. It looks like it’s damaged her eye. I tried cleaning but she had a lot of dried blood on top of her head that I feel bad for continuing to try to get off. I’ve put antibiotic cream on both injuries. Any advice on how to help? Will the swelling go down or do you think her eye is done?

 

[LhickenChicken]

Hi! I had my pullets attacked by a hawk. One didn’t survive but the other was badly injured. She has a small cut under her neck and a larger one on top of her head. It looks like it’s damaged her eye. I tried cleaning but she had a lot of dried blood on top of her head that I feel bad for continuing to try to get off. I’ve put antibiotic cream on both injuries. Any advice on how to help? Will the swelling go down or do you think her eye is done?

Welcome to BYC!
Yeesh, that looks bad. I haven't had that happen to me, so I'm not sure. But I'm going to tag some people who might be able to help:
@SmiYa0126 @Wyorp Rock ? @azygous @Eggcessive

 

[Eggcessive]

Poor thing. Is she conscious? She may be in shock, so it would be best to keep her separated in a dim and quiet place. I would bring her inside in a dog crate with food and water, and some bedding or a towel. Hawks can hit hard, and she could have swelling or internal injuries. Her eye may be more visible when the swelling goes down in a few days. If she is awake and able, offer her water with 1 tsp of sugar per cup, or electrolyte water up to her beak. Moistened chicken feed and cooked egg can be good to offer, but after she has taken fluids. So sorry about your hen getting hurt, and for the one you lost. I hope she gets better, but it is too early to know. Use saline or Vetericyn on the wound, and follow that with plain Neosporin.

 

[azygous]

@Eggcessive is right about how hard a hawk can hit. It would be comparable to getting hit in the head by a hammer. The critical question is internal injuries that might have caused neurological damage. Have you stood her on her feet to check her balance? If she is unable to stand or has very poor balance, then she may have a brain injury. The impact could also have affected her spinal column. Is she able to fold her wings into her body normally? That would be another sign she has nerve damage if her wings droop.

Treat the eye with saline and dab some Neosporin in the eye to head off infection. You'll have to wait and see if the eye has been blinded permanently.

I would treat for shock first as @Eggcessive pointed out. Then vitamin E and B-complex may help in healing any nerve damage that isn't permanent. But treating for shock is most important right now.

 

[ashleyyniicolle]

@Eggcessive is right about how hard a hawk can hit. It would be comparable to getting hit in the head by a hammer. The critical question is internal injuries that might have caused neurological damage. Have you stood her on her feet to check her balance? If she is unable to stand or has very poor balance, then she may have a brain injury. The impact could also have affected her spinal column. Is she able to fold her wings into her body normally? That would be another sign she has nerve damage if her wings droop.

Treat the eye with saline and dab some Neosporin in the eye to head off infection. You'll have to wait and see if the eye has been blinded permanently.

I would treat for shock first as @Eggcessive pointed out. Then vitamin E and B-complex may help in healing any nerve damage that isn't permanent. But treating for shock is most important right now.

So this happened on Sunday. She is able to walk and stand normally. Her balance and wings seems fine as well. We have her isolated in our bathroom tub with food and water. She just chirps all the time so I don’t know if she’s lonely or just in pain.

 

[azygous]

That's very good news. She probably does not have brain or nervous system damage. The fact she is talking is also a good sign. When a chicken goes mute, they are in very dire straits. Get her through the shock period, and she has good chances of recovery.

If she has lost an eye, she will adjust. The left eye is focused on distance, and the right eye is likely more important since it focuses on finding food. If her left eye has been permanently damaged, she will compensate by keeping close to cover or may prefer to remain in the run to be safe.

 

[Eggcessive]

Maybe try some visits with her flock inside a wire dog crate, and see if it relaxes her to be around them.Your last post sounds a lot more hopeful. Let us know how she gets along.

 

[ElfenLied89]

I know this is an older post but what happened? Did she make it?