Injured hen won't drink

[cmonkey4]

My hen was bitten in the head by a raccoon last night/early this morning, and she has been very still and not really drinking anything. I have tried a dropper, but every time I do it, she pulls her head away and turns around. Her head is also still bleeding.

 

[Sustained]

Is she isolated from any other flock members? chickens tend to peck at wounds on fellow flockmates which could keep it bleeding. Did you do any kind of first aid on her? Clean the wound? Raccoons bites can fester quickly. How bad is the bite?

 

[cmonkey4]

Is she isolated from any other flock members? chickens tend to peck at wounds on fellow flockmates which could keep it bleeding. Did you do any kind of first aid on her? Clean the wound? Raccoons bites can fester quickly. How bad is the bite?

Yes, she is in our basement. I cleaned the wound and tried to apply medicine. The bite isn't too bad. What do you mean by "fester"?

 

[Sustained]

festering is when a wound gets infected. Raccoon bites get infected quickly from the bacteria's they carry in their mouths. You want to make sure to keep the wound nice and clean until it scabs over. Is it still bleeding at this point? Does she seem to be in pain? If the bleeding has stopped, and you feel confident doing so, you can give her aspirin to help. Dissolve 5 aspirin in a gallon of water and give her that. I'd only go that route if she seems to be in a lot of pain. Chickens are great healers as long as the wound is clean to prevent infection.

 

[cmonkey4]

Since the wound is right near her eye, I don't want to pour on antiseptic or anything like that. I am about to give her a bath.

 

[Sustained]

Saline solution would work nicely. It won't hurt her eyes. Just an idea. A bath certainly couldn't hurt. Poor girl.

 

[casportpony]

No need to give her a bath, just clean all wounds and keep her in a warm, quiet place with access to water. If she doesn't start drinkng on her own you'll need to get fluids into her. For that I recommend tubing, it's much safer and easier than giving on drop at a time. She needs about 30ml per 2.2 pounds every 6-8 hours.

-Kathy

 

[Eggcessive]

Please don't give her a bath if she is not her normal self yet. It could kill her if she is in shock or has internal injuries. I would put Vetericyn, eye gel, Terramycin ointment, or Neosporin (plain) ointment in her eyes. Saline to wash it would be fine. Any other wounds can have Neosporin on them, after cleaning them with betadine or soap and water. Offer her some egg to eat, and try coaxing her to eat with warm water added to her feed to make it soupy. Holding her on your lap in a towel, you should be able to stop the bleeding with gentle pressure for several minutes holding tissue to it. Keep her warm in case of shock.

 

[Sustained]

Please don't give her a bath if she is not her normal self yet. It could kill her if she is in shock or has internal injuries.

I thought the 'no bath' rule was for sick birds rather than injured ones?

 

[casportpony]

My hen was bitten in the head by a raccoon last night/early this morning, and she has been very still and not really drinking anything. I have tried a dropper, but every time I do it, she pulls her head away and turns around. Her head is also still bleeding.

Quote:
A bird that isn't drinking is likely in some state of shock and needs to be stabilized and have her wounds looked after. There is no reason to bath a sick or injured animal or bird.

-Kathy