Hi All,
Yesterday afternoon, my flock got attacked. I lost 5 hens of my 7. 4 I found scattered in the chicken yard. Either up against a fence or pulled under logs or a bush. The only noticeable wounds I could find were small fang like bites to the neck, and a considerable amount of feathers that show a struggle. None of these 4 hens had any part of them eaten. The 5th one was never found. I have an inkling that she was able to make it over the chicken yard fence, and probably ran across the street in to the woods by the stream. This same exact thing happened two months ago. I lost 4 hens, and had a 5th injured, 3 had the exact same marks and were found in the same manner. The 4th hopped the fence and I found her remains near deer path by the river. I think she had escaped the attack but got eaten by a fox or something because all that was left of her was a pile of feathers and part of her wing. I believe these attacks were caused by a mink or a weasel... because nothing else seems to make sense.
Anyways I have one girl that I found scared to death under the coop. She clearly had been attacked as I found puncture wounds at the base of her neck and near her crop. None of them looked very deep or that bad. I didn't have any real chicken first aid supplies on hand (rookie mistake) and so i just rinsed the wounds with water and put a little bit of Silvadene cream over them. I had some left over silvadene cream from one of the girls who got attacked last time, but i'm not sure if that was the right thing to do.
I then gave her some electrolyte water I made because she was panting heavily (probably a mix from it being so hot out and her shock). She drank quite a bit of the water. She stopped panting but was moaning the saddest moan for quite sometime. It broke my heart.
This morning, I gave her a dish of her feed, grit, and a plate of mushed raspberries, mealworms, chopped basil, kale, and sunflower seeds. She's been eating and drinking, but this evening when I was checking her over again to see her wounds, I noticed that her crop was really mushy, and looks like its bruised, black and blue in color. I could tell there was some food in the crop, but it seemed like mostly water, which maybe makes sense because she's been drinking a lot of water. She's been eliminating giant healthy looking poops. But while i had her out of the cage to inspect her, she started itching her beak with her foot and sneezed out a brownish looking liquid. It wasn't a lot, but it was a different color which freaked me out. After that, she was fluffing herself up as if she wanted to clean herself, but she would keep reaching back and then stop, as if it hurt too much to get to her oil gland.
Other things worth noting, she doesn't seem to have any mites or bugs, her comb still looks very red and healthy. She doesn't seem to have much energy and keeps her tail low.
I do have a vet that will see chickens, but after the last few visits, I don't know that I can afford to take her, and am willing to do anything I can on my own before resorting to the vet.
Here is the other additional information requested:
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Black Australorp, Her 1 year old birthday is in a week. She feels normal weight.
2) What is the behavior, exactly. see above
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? yesterday, after attack (4:30pm is when I found her)
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? no
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. Yes, see above. I do not notice any broken bones, but i'm not a vet. she is able to stand and it seems like both of her wings are working.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Predator attack, i think a weasel or mink
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. see above
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. looks normal. she seems to be having much bigger than normal poops, like a broody poop.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? see above
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I would like to treat completely by myself due to cost, but if I don't have any other options, i may take her in to a vet.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use: 8 x 10 coop, well secured with hardware cloth everywhere. We use wood shavings for bedding, and sweet pdz on the poop decks under the roosts. the attack happened outside in the middle of the day, in the chicken yard that is not well secured. they do have a run that is well secured, but i let them range during the day.
Yesterday afternoon, my flock got attacked. I lost 5 hens of my 7. 4 I found scattered in the chicken yard. Either up against a fence or pulled under logs or a bush. The only noticeable wounds I could find were small fang like bites to the neck, and a considerable amount of feathers that show a struggle. None of these 4 hens had any part of them eaten. The 5th one was never found. I have an inkling that she was able to make it over the chicken yard fence, and probably ran across the street in to the woods by the stream. This same exact thing happened two months ago. I lost 4 hens, and had a 5th injured, 3 had the exact same marks and were found in the same manner. The 4th hopped the fence and I found her remains near deer path by the river. I think she had escaped the attack but got eaten by a fox or something because all that was left of her was a pile of feathers and part of her wing. I believe these attacks were caused by a mink or a weasel... because nothing else seems to make sense.
Anyways I have one girl that I found scared to death under the coop. She clearly had been attacked as I found puncture wounds at the base of her neck and near her crop. None of them looked very deep or that bad. I didn't have any real chicken first aid supplies on hand (rookie mistake) and so i just rinsed the wounds with water and put a little bit of Silvadene cream over them. I had some left over silvadene cream from one of the girls who got attacked last time, but i'm not sure if that was the right thing to do.
I then gave her some electrolyte water I made because she was panting heavily (probably a mix from it being so hot out and her shock). She drank quite a bit of the water. She stopped panting but was moaning the saddest moan for quite sometime. It broke my heart.
This morning, I gave her a dish of her feed, grit, and a plate of mushed raspberries, mealworms, chopped basil, kale, and sunflower seeds. She's been eating and drinking, but this evening when I was checking her over again to see her wounds, I noticed that her crop was really mushy, and looks like its bruised, black and blue in color. I could tell there was some food in the crop, but it seemed like mostly water, which maybe makes sense because she's been drinking a lot of water. She's been eliminating giant healthy looking poops. But while i had her out of the cage to inspect her, she started itching her beak with her foot and sneezed out a brownish looking liquid. It wasn't a lot, but it was a different color which freaked me out. After that, she was fluffing herself up as if she wanted to clean herself, but she would keep reaching back and then stop, as if it hurt too much to get to her oil gland.
Other things worth noting, she doesn't seem to have any mites or bugs, her comb still looks very red and healthy. She doesn't seem to have much energy and keeps her tail low.
I do have a vet that will see chickens, but after the last few visits, I don't know that I can afford to take her, and am willing to do anything I can on my own before resorting to the vet.
Here is the other additional information requested:
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Black Australorp, Her 1 year old birthday is in a week. She feels normal weight.
2) What is the behavior, exactly. see above
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? yesterday, after attack (4:30pm is when I found her)
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? no
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. Yes, see above. I do not notice any broken bones, but i'm not a vet. she is able to stand and it seems like both of her wings are working.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Predator attack, i think a weasel or mink
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. see above
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. looks normal. she seems to be having much bigger than normal poops, like a broody poop.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? see above
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I would like to treat completely by myself due to cost, but if I don't have any other options, i may take her in to a vet.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use: 8 x 10 coop, well secured with hardware cloth everywhere. We use wood shavings for bedding, and sweet pdz on the poop decks under the roosts. the attack happened outside in the middle of the day, in the chicken yard that is not well secured. they do have a run that is well secured, but i let them range during the day.
