My Big girl got attacked...15 hours ago....she still can't stand up

[Nannner]

My Plymouth Rock, Alice, the protecter of the all 3 girl community was attacked last night. I heard noise out back, ran out there to find Alice in back of the coop on the ground...face in dirt and moving her wing. I quickly picked her up....she was listless. Still alive but didn't look good at all. I looked over her and found a slice (not puncture) down her back. See photos. I rinsed it with Sodium Chloride (saline), Bedadine and put on Mupiroin Ointment (antibiotic ointment). I was scared to open the cover box this morning and when I did...she stood up a little, wobbled and fell to side. I put her in a cage for food and water but she will not move when she does, she falls to her right side. My concern is not so much the wound...I think...but the way she can't stand and when she does she falls to the side. Does anyone have any ideas? Is she still traumatize? She is not eating but drank a little when i put it up to her beak.

 

[memphis]

Poor girl! I'm assuming you checked her legs and underneath her for other wounds. I would keep on with what you are doing. Keep her warm and quiet. Try making her something she really loves. Mine will usually eat a scrambled egg. She may just still be in shock. Hopefully some one who knows more than me will weight in. Any idea what got in the coop? Are your other girls okay? Keep us posted!

 

[Nannner]

Thank you for your reply....I fed her scramble eggs and she did have a few pieces but that was it. She is now standing but very wobbly she can't step or she will fall over.The other girls are ok and even brought them in to see her they helped motivate her to eat some food. Not sure what got in and doing a few repairs on it today. The coop was opened. I usually close it before I got to bed. I live in the suburbs (hence all hens) and the predators we have are hawks,cats and opossums, rats. Raccoons are rare. This predator entered the coop so the hawk would be unlikely.Thinking it was a cat but our ferral cats usually don't bother them...so confused on that.

 

[memphis]

I live in the burbs too. Coons are my big fear. Glad she ate a bit. Had to laugh at you bringing in the other girls to visit. I wish I had any new ideas but my experience with this is limited. Hopefully some one will weigh in with some other ideas.

 

[cgmccary]

They are usually in shock the first day. Shock is usually the thing that can kill a bird after an attack. Keep her in a quite place until she can stand better. Clean her wound daily and apply the ointment like you are doing. Do not cover the wound & NEVER, of course, sew it up.

If she is eating and drinking food, then that is a VERY good sign. You might attempt to call a vet and get them to mix you up a gallon of water with a good antibiotic like Baytril (aka Enrofloxacin). I had a hen tore up by a dog once. She passed out from the shock. The vet mixed me up a gallon of Baytril. She survived and did not get infected. I kept her wound clean and applied ointment like you are doing.

I also had a hen attacked by a opossum one time at night. I ran out to find the opossum had my hen's head in its mouth. I yelled at the opossum who dropped her head & I shot it point blank. My hen was hurt bad. The hen could not open either her eyes for a couple of days. She still drank water when I put it to her beak. Her head was a mess. At that time, she was 2 years old or so. She survived and lived to be 8 years old (fittingly, she died the other day on Christmas Day). I also got her a gallon of water with Baytril added from my regular vet (who knows nothing about chickens but listens to me when I need something -- the vet can mix up appropriately by the hen's weight). Depending on what attacked her, it can leave some nasty germs in the wound and thus in her body.

Let us know how she is doing -- if she is eating, then I predict she recovers.

I hope this helps you.

 

[RockNSuccess]

My Plymouth Rock, Alice, the protecter of the all 3 girl community was attacked last night. I heard noise out back, ran out there to find Alice in back of the coop on the ground...face in dirt and moving her wing. I quickly picked her up....she was listless. Still alive but didn't look good at all. I looked over her and found a slice (not puncture) down her back. See photos. I rinsed it with Sodium Chloride (saline), Bedadine and put on Mupiroin Ointment (antibiotic ointment). I was scared to open the cover box this morning and when I did...she stood up a little, wobbled and fell to side. I put her in a cage for food and water but she will not move when she does, she falls to her right side. My concern is not so much the wound...I think...but the way she can't stand and when she does she falls to the side. Does anyone have any ideas? Is she still traumatize? She is not eating but drank a little when i put it up to her beak. [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR]

This may sound silly, but could it be that she is sore or is bruised? I don't know what got her, but maybe it tweaked one of her legs or something. IDK, like I said, maybe a silly idea. I hope she gets better. I had an Ameraucana pullet attacked by the neighbor dog. The wound didn't appear to be bad, but I didn't find out until I got home from work. Pretty sure it was the shock that killed her. You are lucky you were on hand to take care of her right away. Crossing my fingers for her.

 

[memphis]

How is she doing? Any better?

 

[cstronks]

If she is having trouble standing, you can create a standing splint with a cardboard box that is roughly 6-8 inches high. You would put a towel over the open end of the box, then cut out two holes for the legs, and sit her in the box upright so that there is some (but not all) weight on the legs. This idea is featured in the Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, and I have used in on chickens who have either been abused via battery cage that could not stand, or on chickens that have been injured.

 

[Nannner]

Thank you all for your suggestions.
Alice is doing much better. It has been a couple of bad weeks. She was starting to stand but was not eating or drinking. A week passed and I thought that I could love a chicken that's not right in the head but I can't let her hang on if she doesn't eat. That would be cruel. I got veggie baby food and pretty much stuffed it down her mouth. Everyday I contiuned to do that....at least I can sleep knowing she was not starving. I was going to give her one more week until I would have her put down.
WELLL.....it payed off. I brought her other two friends in the house (I know...kinda gross but I was scared to bring her outside). OK...well my other two girl were all over that special feed I made for her...she did not like they were eating it all...so she wobbled over and started eating on her own. She still sleeps in a crate in the house. I am not comfortable putting her outside for a long period of time. She still is not right in her head and she has some weight and strength to gain but she is a survivor! Thank you again for your post my chicken friends!

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I'm not sure but it might be that she suffered some head trauma. I would think that the stress of the trauma would ease after a couple of days.
If she is eating and getting around all right I would think she will be fine!

I'm always shocked at what a chicken can survive!
You are right to keep her in the house for a bit longer. The injury will put her in danger of being picked on ever if she is dominate hen. Best to wait until the wound is healed and beginning to pin feather again.