Hen Got Shocked and Pecked by Rooster. Is Missing Skin. Please Help!

[PatrickRoo]

Hi, again. So, on Sunday afternoon our California White hen got her head stuck in our electric poultry netting. My mother put the netting inside of the pen, so they'd get used to it before we put the netting in front of the pen. Our California Whites are notorious for flying out of their new pen, or trying to get out through the holes. This particular hen, known as Francis, tried to stick her head through the netting, which was set at 8,0 kVs.

Poor thing got her head stuck and it was shocking her. Our rooster, known as Patrick, saw that Francis was struggling and he pecked the skin right off of her head and neck. My mom grabbed a towel and rushed her into the garage and set her in a shoe box. I got her some food and medicated some water for her.

She can barely bend her neck down and has a hard time eating and drinking. (I have to force food and water down.) She can though move around well, fly, and lay down. She even layed an egg in a corner after the accident. I let her go outside with my supervision so she can run around and get some fresh air. I just don't know how to treat her, though. (I will not cull her.) This has never happened to me before and I will gladly appreciate any help given.

Thanks in advance.
~ PatrickRoo

 

[Chicken Lover <3]

Just keep her separate for a while. Also if this doesn't bug her, put a small towel on her that has been soaked in water, it might help.

 

[Chicken Lover <3]

Just keep her separate for a while. Also if this doesn't bug her, put a small towel on her that has been soaked in water, it might help.

Soon the skin will heal and she will all good again!

 

[alexa009]

Aww poor thing! Make sure if you are keeping her in garage that she has grit. It is not a good idea to keep her in the pen right now because chickens might take interest or if they are dominant over her they may peck her. You can take her in the though so the chickens don't think it is a different chicken and pick on it. This is optional, if you want to keep her in the pen that is fine.

 

[sbhkma]

I'd recommend keeping her inside until the wounds scab over well. Flystrike can cause all sorts of problems (and is one of the weekly topics here). I'd also gently clean the wounds with a diluted betadine solution and put antibiotic on it. If she can't eat and drink, you'll need to tube feed her for a few days until she's more mobile and able to reach her food and water. Give her electrolytes in the water too- like save-a-chick or rooster booster electrolytes. Once she's ready to go back with the flock, a light spray of alushield spray bandage will mask the injury and should keep her from being a pecking target.

 

[PatrickRoo]

I'd recommend keeping her inside until the wounds scab over well. Flystrike can cause all sorts of problems (and is one of the weekly topics here). I'd also gently clean the wounds with a diluted betadine solution and put antibiotic on it. If she can't eat and drink, you'll need to tube feed her for a few days until she's more mobile and able to reach her food and water. Give her electrolytes in the water too- like save-a-chick or rooster booster electrolytes. Once she's ready to go back with the flock, a light spray of alushield spray bandage will mask the injury and should keep her from being a pecking target.

I guess I spoke too soon about her getting around well. Yesterday she was lying in a corner of the garage, toes curled up. We brought her in one of our enclosed porches. We won't need to tube feed her, thankfully, as she is eating on her own, and she is drinking on her own. We just have to move her over to the food and water. If we don't hold on to her, she will throw her head down and hit the floor or the bowls.

We checked on her this morning. She is still alive. We brought her over to her food and water. Drank a lot and ate some. She also hasn't pooped since we brought her in on the porch. We've been cleaning her wound as you said, by the way.

Is she just weak? Again, she was pecked very badly (she was bleeding some) by one of our roosters and she was stuck in electric netting, which was set at 8,0 kVs. I'm wondering if whether or not the netting had something to do with it. I mean, if it's only weakness and she needs food and water, we did get her crop full yesterday.

The day before yesterday she was running around the yard, now her toes are curled up, and she can barely move without having her beak slam against anything. I'm also afraid I spoke too soon about not culling her. If she can't be healed and we have to watch her suffer, culling is our only option.

Thanks in advance.
~ PatrickRoo

 

[sbhkma]

I would recommend checking her crop to see if it's emptying. If you saw her with a full crop, but she hasn't pooped, not sure it was full of food & water. May be something else going on there. If her crop is empty or almost empty and her breath doesn't smell funky, she may need to be tubed for a couple of days. It's scary at first but really not that difficult and it's the only way to make sure she's getting the fluids and nutrients she needs. If possible I'd keep her inside so flystrike doesn't finish the job the rooster started. She is probably weak from shock and dehydration. If she were mine, I'd tube her for a couple days, keep the wounds treated and moist so they can heal from the inside out and the re asses the situation in a couple days.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

she was lying in a corner of the garage, toes curled up....If we don't hold on to her, she will throw her head down and hit the floor or the bowls.....She also hasn't pooped since we brought her in on the porch.....now her toes are curled up, and she can barely move without having her beak slam against anything

Can you post a video of her?
Is her crop empty or full?

Do your best to get her hydrated. Offer her some poultry vitamins that have vitamins B and E. Alternatively crush a human B-Complex vitamin and add it her feed, you can give her 400IU of Vitamin E as well. Give her some chopped egg or tuna for Selenium.

Having curled toes and the head being thrown around sounds somewhat neurological. It's possible that she suffered brain injury/trauma when she was attacked.
If she will eat with your assistance that is good - continue to do that or consider tube feeding her.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding
http://lafeber.com/vet/tube-feeding-birds/

 

[PatrickRoo]

Can you post a video of her?
Is her crop empty or full?

Do your best to get her hydrated. Offer her some poultry vitamins that have vitamins B and E. Alternatively crush a human B-Complex vitamin and add it her feed, you can give her 400IU of Vitamin E as well. Give her some chopped egg or tuna for Selenium.

Having curled toes and the head being thrown around sounds somewhat neurological. It's possible that she suffered brain injury/trauma when she was attacked.
If she will eat with your assistance that is good - continue to do that or consider tube feeding her.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding
http://lafeber.com/vet/tube-feeding-birds/

Thank you. I can try to get a video.

 

[PatrickRoo]

I would recommend checking her crop to see if it's emptying. If you saw her with a full crop, but she hasn't pooped, not sure it was full of food & water. May be something else going on there. If her crop is empty or almost empty and her breath doesn't smell funky, she may need to be tubed for a couple of days. It's scary at first but really not that difficult and it's the only way to make sure she's getting the fluids and nutrients she needs. If possible I'd keep her inside so flystrike doesn't finish the job the rooster started. She is probably weak from shock and dehydration. If she were mine, I'd tube her for a couple days, keep the wounds treated and moist so they can heal from the inside out and the re asses the situation in a couple days.

Thank you.