Help! Predator Attack and Open Neck Wounds!

[wlhtx]

They are actually inside a hardwire pen already! Not chicken wire... But the type we use has the rectangular holes and is apparently large enough for a coon to stick his arm through and grab. I'm guessing she must have been sleeping near the edge and got grabbed before she knew what was happening. Who knows? Back to the drawing board on this one though. And the dogs definitely sleep outside again tonight.

And thanks for the suggestion about the Swat, Miss Lydia! I will definitely need to get some to keep on her for the flies. They are already terrible this year and maggots are not something that I would care to deal with.

We were totally freaked out that it might have also gotten our only duck. She's a Khaki Campbell that refuses to come into a pen at night but yet will jump into my mother-in-law's lap for a treat and a snuggle. She's been sleeping out for over a year and is a total survivor - but we couldn't find her at first this morning. We drove our 4 wheeler around our pond looking for her and were pretty much convinced that she was finally a goner. But our dog ended up flushing her out of a clump of brush beside a tree. We discovered a beautifully built nest with 16 eggs in it! Too bad we don't have a drake.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are actually inside a hardwire pen already! Not chicken wire... But the type we use has the rectangular holes and is apparently large enough for a coon to stick his arm through and grab. I'm guessing she must have been sleeping near the edge and got grabbed before she knew what was happening. Who knows? Back to the drawing board on this one though. And the dogs definitely sleep outside again tonight.

And thanks for the suggestion about the Swat, Miss Lydia! I will definitely need to get some to keep on her for the flies. They are already terrible this year and maggots are not something that I would care to deal with.

We were totally freaked out that it might have also gotten our only duck. She's a Khaki Campbell that refuses to come into a pen at night but yet will jump into my mother-in-law's lap for a treat and a snuggle. She's been sleeping out for over a year and is a total survivor - but we couldn't find her at first this morning. We drove our 4 wheeler around our pond looking for her and were pretty much convinced that she was finally a goner. But our dog ended up flushing her out of a clump of brush beside a tree. We discovered a beautifully built nest with 16 eggs in it! Too bad we don't have a drake.

Oh my goodness I'm so glad you found her, I think I'd try to get her closed up at night, and get that girl a boy friend she needs company.

 

[wlhtx]

Just thought I would post some updated pics of my attack victim. She's acting just fine and the two spots are healing, though overall her poor neck still looks pretty ragged. I suspect she will always bear some scars... I was surprised at how much she's feathered in over the last week.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just thought I would post some updated pics of my attack victim. She's acting just fine and the two spots are healing, though overall her poor neck still looks pretty ragged. I suspect she will always bear some scars... I was surprised at how much she's feathered in over the last week.

And grown too. Glad she is healing up and almost back to normal

 

[wlhtx]

Thanks again, Miss Lydia. I've been reading The Road Less Traveled forum and the Fermented Feed for Meaties forum (from the beginning - wow, great info, but taking awhile to read through!) and have seen your name pop up throughout both.

I've just started making the fermented feed this week for my chickens. I tried feeding to the geese and they absolutely ignore it. The chickens don't seem thrilled with it, but will pick at it. (Though the Khaki Campbell will eat it all up!) Do you feed the fermented to your geese?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks again, Miss Lydia. I've been reading The Road Less Traveled forum and the Fermented Feed for Meaties forum (from the beginning - wow, great info, but taking awhile to read through!) and have seen your name pop up throughout both.

I've just started making the fermented feed this week for my chickens. I tried feeding to the geese and they absolutely ignore it. The chickens don't seem thrilled with it, but will pick at it. (Though the Khaki Campbell will eat it all up!) Do you feed the fermented to your geese?

My whole flock gets FF and it does take time for them to adjust but they did. The geese being the last ones, but it's hilarious now to see them with FF all over their bills from pigging out. I found they like it drier than most do theirs. It takes trial and error to get it just where you like it and the flock will eat it. I haven't been on those 2 sites in a long time. I spend way to much time here and duck thread.

 

[wlhtx]

I came across them trying to find some natural means of boosting my chickens. Of 40+ chickens, they're overall pretty healthy, but I have a couple hens with gleet, one JG with a bald patch on her neck, and one JG with ruffled feathers (though she still lays and eats, so who knows what the heck is wrong with her). I've found them very informative and entertaining, but it is taking me awhile to work through them. In fact, on the road less traveled forum, I've just gotten to the Hurricane Sandy time point.... :/

I'll keep offering the ff to the geese. Their crumbles are usually the only way I can get them into their pen in the evenings. When I tried to switch food on them, they nearly mutinied. We ended up having to herd them all around the yard (what a funny movie that would have been) before finally getting them where they needed to go...

Oh - one question regarding chickens with gleet (if you don't mind). I saw one post where you mentioned trimming their rear ends before applying nustock. This is my first experience with this... How exactly do you trim them? Scissors? Clippers?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I came across them trying to find some natural means of boosting my chickens. Of 40+ chickens, they're overall pretty healthy, but I have a couple hens with gleet, one JG with a bald patch on her neck, and one JG with ruffled feathers (though she still lays and eats, so who knows what the heck is wrong with her). I've found them very informative and entertaining, but it is taking me awhile to work through them. In fact, on the road less traveled forum, I've just gotten to the Hurricane Sandy time point....

I'll keep offering the ff to the geese. Their crumbles are usually the only way I can get them into their pen in the evenings. When I tried to switch food on them, they nearly mutinied. We ended up having to herd them all around the yard (what a funny movie that would have been) before finally getting them where they needed to go...

Oh - one question regarding chickens with gleet (if you don't mind). I saw one post where you mentioned trimming their rear ends before applying nustock. This is my first experience with this... How exactly do you trim them? Scissors? Clippers?

I just used a pair of scissors I keep for trimming wings on my Scovy's just trim of the nasty ones so you can get to the skin, my hen still has gleet, I am thinking with her it's a chronic condition and believe me I have used everything that I know of to rid her of it. She acts fine and lays an egg almost every day but just can't get rid of the gleet. If your geese like whole corn that maybe a way of enticing into their pen of an evening, If I need to get mine put up quick all I have to do is shake the can and they come running. sure beats the heck out of chasing them or trying to herd them when they are in the open.

 

[wlhtx]

I will try that! Thanks!!!

 

[tillyita]

I just used a pair of scissors I keep for trimming wings on my Scovy's just trim of the nasty ones so you can get to the skin, my hen still has gleet, I am thinking with her it's a chronic condition and believe me I have used everything that I know of to rid her of it. She acts fine and lays an egg almost every day but just can't get rid of the gleet. If your geese like whole corn that maybe a way of enticing into their pen of an evening, If I need to get mine put up quick all I have to do is shake the can and they come running. sure beats the heck out of chasing them or trying to herd them when they are in the open.

I have working dogs and if the geese don't come in for the food (and they usually do) then my girls get a work out bringing them in. They are really good now (dogs and geese) - the geese see the dogs and head towards their pen and the dogs keep off the geese unless they are going the wrong way. It has the double benifit that if the geese feel threatened in the paddock they head towards the coop!

Was just reading up on gleet because I haven't seen it before (well I probably have but didn't realise what it was) and one of the earlier posts made me curious....I found this interesting - it kind of explains why ACV probably helps the condition.
http://birdhealth.com.au/flockbirds/poultry/diseases/vent_gleet.html