A mink got in my run while I was at work Friday!! Thanks to a wonderful neighbor who chased the little bugger away all day, only 1 girl ended up with major injury!! He went for her head!! I instantly blue koted!! If it wasn't for her eye, I think she'd be fine, but I'm pretty sure he made off with an eyeball!! :-( Well, that eye now looks abscessed!! I put her in a cage in the coop so the other girls leave her be, but I haven't known what else to do!! Initially she seemed to be drinking, but not anymore and doesn't seem to eat at all!! Do I need to cull her?? I hate the thought, but i don't want her to suffer!! Any ideas??
Sorry about your chickens. BluKote shouldn't be used around the eyes, since it contains alcohol and gentian violet. Saline eye wash, followed by Terramycin, Neosporin, or other brand of antibiotic ointment, or Vetericyn eye wash or eye gel would be more appropriate. When there is eye trauma, the tissue surrounding the eye can swell, and the nictitating membrane or third eyelid sometimes will cover the eyeball to the point that it looks like there is no eye in the socket. I would try to clean out the eye well with saline, and apply Neosporin twice a day. If you have any antibiotics around such as amoxicillin, cipro, or similar, it would probably be good to give. In your picture, her chest seems big--is the crop full and balloon-like or hard? She may be cold and need some heat on her. I would get some SaveAChick electrolyte/vitamin mix for her water, and start dipping her beak into it, or carefully syringing it 1/2 ml at a time. Fluids are more important than food right now. Tube or crop feeding would do her good if you are interested. Minks will decapitate chickens just as weasels do, and they can get through very small openings in a coop. Here are a couple of recipes for homemade saline and for electrolytes: https://suite.io/kathy-quan/64b22y HOMEMADE ELECTROLYTE SOLUTION 1/2 teaspoon salt substitute* 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon sugar 1 gallon water
