My chicken got attacked

[Quiggy]

My chicken got attacked by a weasle, shes very much active and has been okay all day. But her top beak is gone. How will this heal? And how can I make the healing process easier on her?

 

[sourland]

I am concerned that with her entire upper beak gone she will be unable to eat - even if provided with moistened feed in a deep dish.

 

[Isaac 0]

I would flush the area with some saline to dislodge any debris, then using a cotton swab dab an antibacterial ointment overtop. The beak is not going to re-grow to the extent it once was, so the hen will be expected to have a hard time eating, drinking on her own for the rest of her life. If she is not able to drink or eat on her own, tube feeding will need to be implemented or she will become dehydrated, and starve to death.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ng-guide-pictures-under-construction.1064392/

If you have a vet nearby, it would be best to take her there, and perhaps discuss implementing a prosthetic beak to enable her to eat, and talk about pain medications for her, because as of now, I'm sure she's in a lot of pain. You can offer her soupy feed, in a deep wide dish, and see if she's able to properly eat that way.

Here is a hen, that had similar injuries to yours, and was able to cope with her injury.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/broken-beak-how-serious-update-adjusting-well.605165/page-4

If none of those options appease to you, euthanasia may be best.

 

[Quiggy]

I am concerned that with her entire upper beak gone she will be unable to eat - even if provided with moistened feed in a deep dish.

She is eating thats the surprising thing. She uses her tounge mostly it looks like.

 

[Quiggy]

I would flush the area with some saline to dislodge any debris, then using a cotton swab dab an antibacterial ointment overtop. The beak is not going to re-grow to the extent it once was, so the hen will be expected to have a hard time eating, drinking on her own for the rest of her life. If she is not able to drink or eat on her own, tube feeding will need to be implemented or she will become dehydrated, and starve to death.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ng-guide-pictures-under-construction.1064392/

If you have a vet nearby, it would be best to take her there, and perhaps discuss implementing a prosthetic beak to enable her to eat, and talk about pain medications for her, because as of now, I'm sure she's in a lot of pain. You can offer her soupy feed, in a deep wide dish, and see if she's able to properly eat that way.

Here is a hen, that had similar injuries to yours, and was able to cope with her injury.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/broken-beak-how-serious-update-adjusting-well.605165/page-4

If none of those options appease to you, euthanasia may be best.

Oh that brings me so much hope sense shes eating and drinking fine. In that forum about that chicken it says they adapt easier to a missing top then bottom. And I washed it out with some antibiotics I had with me(that were safe for chickens) and I will get those you mentioned tomorrow. Shes a trooper she is also missing a leg. And day of amputation she was up hopping around.

 

[Isaac 0]

Oh that brings me so much hope sense shes eating and drinking fine. In that forum about that chicken it says they adapt easier to a missing top then bottom. And I washed it out with some antibiotics I had with me(that were safe for chickens) and I will get those you mentioned tomorrow. Shes a trooper she is also missing a leg. And day of amputation she was up hopping around.

Missing the top is better than the bottom, correct, that way the bird can almost shovel the food inside her mouth. If she is eating and drinking that is good. Sometimes it's hard to tell if they're getting enough or not, so I would start weighing her on a gram scale for the next week or so, to really ensure she is getting enough food inside her. A 5 to 10% decrease in weight would grant supplemental tube feeding.

Make sure to monitor her beak, and continuously offer her soupy feed, and mashed scrambled eggs. Keep us posted on her condition, I hope she pulls through.

 

[Quiggy]

Missing the top is better than the bottom, correct, that way the bird can almost shovel the food inside her mouth. If she is eating and drinking that is good. Sometimes it's hard to tell if they're getting enough or not, so I would start weighing her on a gram scale for the next week or so, to really ensure she is getting enough food inside her. A 5 to 10% decrease in weight would grant supplemental tube feeding.

Make sure to monitor her beak, and continuously offer her soupy feed, and mashed scrambled eggs. Keep us posted on her condition, I hope she pulls through.

I will definitely keep you posted, and I will weigh her and do that. Thank you for the info and advice it really helps

 

[Quiggy]

Would giving her baby formula in milk or baby goat/cow/horse help to fill her stomach? Just until her beak scabs over I dont want her to be hungry and in pain.

 

[Isaac 0]

I will definitely keep you posted, and I will weigh her and do that. Thank you for the info and advice it really helps

Would giving her baby formula in milk or baby goat/cow/horse help to fill her stomach? Just until her beak scabs over I dont want her to be hungry and in pain.

Birds really shouldn't have milk. If she's not eating much, you get some Parrot baby feeding formula, or game bird crumble, make it into a warm soupy feed, maybe with an addition of some Gatorade for electrolyte, and offer her that. If she's not eating, or not able to, she will need to be tube-fed, in which case you'll need some catheter tubing/ or aquarium tubing, a 60ml syringe, and some gamebird crumble, or parrot baby feeding formula, preferably the latter. if you need to tube-feed refer to the link I provided in the previous post.