Hen attacked and ended up with hurt leg - Any help/advice please!

[Jso003]

Hi Everyone,

I have a hen which has attacked by a cat about 2 hours ago, sadly killing one of our 3 chickens but the last one was the lucky one i guess! One is in the middle here, i saw it attacked by the cat just for a second or two if that, but it has had a few feathers on it's back ripped out causing some bleeding, and more worryingly, one of it's legs is not operating properly.

Our hen is not moving freely, rather stuck in one spot and whenever it tries to stand up it looks as though the leg is very still and isn't moving, and the hen is often sticking the leg out sidewards. I can't see any visible cuts on the leg or on the face of it, any freakish abnormalities (a bone sticking out etc). one of its wings seems to be always low and on the ground also. I have seperated it from the other chicken and put in in an enclosed space in our kitchen with a bowl of water to stay warm for the night.

I will post a few pictures below to show the damage, i would appreciate if anyone knows whether it would be best to try for recovery or whether to let her go, i am looking after the chickens for my parents and they are upset about it all so would appreciate to hear what's honestly the best way to go. I haven't managed to get any pictures of the leg but it appears that it has been moving around, just very slightly and it seems to pain it greatly to do so.

Thanks so much for your time!!

- Ollie

 

[cavemanrich]

I really feel that she will recover on her own. Parents must be understanding that it was a cat and not you that did the BAD. You can probably tell that I like cats.... None of my cats have ever bothered any of my chickens. There was one that visited once, that did try to play or hurt one of my full size chickens. I quickly chased it away. Have not had any cat incidents since.
Where is this BAD CAT from??? Yours??? Neighbors??? or Feral???

Keeping your injured chicken in home and in warm is the best you can do for her.

WISHING YOU BEST AND

Keep us posted on her improvement progress..

 

[Big Cluck]

I have heard of cats attacking chickens, though I have never had a problem. Once my chickens were over 3 weeks old my cats lost interest in them. Though we have one cat who likes to hang out with me when I visit the girls in the run, The cat trys to come in, but when he gets in the chickens chase him and try to peck him in the eyes.. Hes a bit slow and not a fast learner, I have to keep him out to protect him.

Best of luck with your injured chicken! I wish her a fast recovery, I would let her recover a few days and see how it goes.

 

[trailrider330]

Once you have made sure the bleeding has stopped, the best thing you can do is keep her separated from the other chicken for now and make sure she is warm, comfortable and has access to food and water. If she is resistant to eating, you can also try feeding her things like cooked eggs or oatmeal. You may also want to try cleaning the wound with warm water and mild soap. Just be sure you do not use any products on it that end in "caine" as those can prove fatal to chickens. Keeping her inside may also have its advantages in that it will decrease the chances that she would get fly strike.

I would also suggest keeping an eye on her leg in hopes of trying to determine what the issue is. It is possible that you are dealing with a tendon/ligament issue or sprain/broken leg. If you are able to actually feel a break there are a couple trains of thought on the topic. Some choose to allow the leg to mend on its own and others will splint and treat the leg. If you determine it is broken and you want to splint it, feel free to message me and I will gladly talk you through what I did when one of my hens broke her leg.

Good luck!