HELP! Mom's hens attacked last night! ** Update **

[Nana2KJS]

I'm Tammy's daughter- Sytera. She is at work and needs me to ask this.

Her hens were attacked early last night. One survived, one is dead and my grandma is trying to save the other. She is very badly injured on her back and underside- no bowels falling out. Wounds are starting to dry and my grandma was wondering if there was anything safe to pour over them. The hen is eating a little and tried to stand for a moment. She has drank a little water out of a dropper. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do. Thank you.

Sytera, KJS's mom

 

[fiberart57]

You can use Neosporin - without any of the 'caines' to help heal. Support her with warmth, dim light, quiet and nutritional supplements like the yolk of a boiled egg and some vitamins. Keep her area clean and perhaps place her on soft towels for bedding, or something that won't get in the wounds.

There's controversy about antibiotics. Some people say don't start them until an actual infection starts, others say that in cases like this, using them from the outset may keep an infection from forming. There's merit to both sides of the argument. Just remember, if you start them, you must do a full course so as not to develop immunity.

Best wishes, Mary

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Clean the wounds with Saline solution and then add the Neosporin. Poor things! What attacked them? Or do you know? Try to keep the wounds clean by covering with gauze if you can.

 

[Nana2KJS]

Thank you for the replies. She is still hanging in last I heard. My grandma has her inside keeping her warm and calm. We believe it was a dog that got them, possibly the same one that got her other hen a couple weeks ago. Hopefully my mom pops on here later tonight and updates.

Sytera

 

[Nana2KJS]

Well ... Miss Gracie is hanging in there. She is calm and comfortable in my mom's kitchen, while crazy life goes on for the rest of us

It appears that a dog got into our yard. Our fences are very iffy, but the girls like to roam the yard during the day and have dutifully returned to their coop every evening. Looks like sometime between 4pm and dark, after I left for work again, something got in and got hold of Rosie and Gracie. Nellie was in the pen the next morning, but there was just a pile of feathers in one corner of the yard, and I found Gracie, badly hurt, in the compost pile. Looks like Rosie is gone. Gracie has a pretty good chunk missing across her back and lots of feathers missing. We have cleaned her back as best we could with saline solution yesterday, and weak iodine today. Also treating her with remedies recommended by our homeopath.

This morning when I got to my mom's Gracie didn't look too good. She seemed to be laboring heavily and her eyes were droopy - we thought she was dying. But she has slowly gotten better. Still a long way from out of the woods, but is eating a bit, drinking, trying to clean herself. Doesn't look like there's damage other than across her back where something must have had hold of her but she got away. I'm sure she's badly bruised and traumatized.

G'ma has her in a little red wagon so she can keep an eye on here where ever she goes. A cat box top goes on at night so she feels safe and protected. If she gets through all this she may well be G'mas chick! They are both amazing ladies!

Mostly I just wanted to say thank you for the replies when my daughter asked for help here. I had no choice but to leave Gracie in Sytera and G'mas hands. We all appreciate the care and concern here - BYC rocks!