My chicken was attacked by a bobcat

[Annieprkr]

One of our chickens (her name is Lola) was attacked by a bobcat yesterday. My husband scared it off, and initially we thought that they only problem was that she lost some feathers. Today when we went out to the coop, we noticed that her eye was swollen shut, and that it seemed to be oozing some liquid. Her comb was also bloody. She is walking around, and the other hens are not picking on her. She is staying inside the hen house, and has not ventured into the run. What do we do? We do not have a lot of money, and she is one of our favorite chickens. Any help you can provide would be great.
Thanks...Annie

 

[Gardeningmama]

One of our chickens (her name is Lola) was attacked by a bobcat yesterday. My husband scared it off, and initially we thought that they only problem was that she lost some feathers. Today when we went out to the coop, we noticed that her eye was swollen shut, and that it seemed to be oozing some liquid. Her comb was also bloody. She is walking around, and the other hens are not picking on her. She is staying inside the hen house, and has not ventured into the run. What do we do? We do not have a lot of money, and she is one of our favorite chickens. Any help you can provide would be great.
Thanks...Annie

I had a hawk get my Silkie hen a few months ago. We saw the hawk on her, thought she was dead, and horrifyingly she stood up all of a sudden. It was like a nightmare. By the time we got to her she was half dead and the hawk had obviously done terrible damage to her eye, and I couldn't afford a vet either. So, I brought her in , put her in a brooder, and waited. I kept cleaning it and putting neosporin on it. It was soo big for a long time, and I honestly didn"t know what the eye would look like when it finally opened, or if it was even there. After about 4 or 5 weeks she opened it, and the only thing wrong is that it is cloudy, but I know she has at least some sight in it. So, if I were you, I'd watch her, keep it wiped when you can, put an antibiotic ointment on it and wait. I think how the body can heal itself will really surprise you. Good Luck!!

P.S.

 

[gggalaxy]

Hello,

I wanted to tell you that the same thing happened to me 3 days ago. The Bobcat actually had my chicken in it's mouth and ran away. I chased after the cat and as the cat jumped over the fence it dropped my chicken! I was able to rescue her. I haven't seen any injuries, but I assume she has internal injuries. She has been obviously shocked and quiet the last few days - I can tell she is in a lot of pain and like you I don't have $500 to spend with a vet. I am wondering if anyone knows what I can do to ease her pain.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Annie, the bobcat probably bit or scratched her eye. You should put saline solution (yes, the same that you wash contacts with) because it does eye wonders! She probably is in some pain or even scared to go back outside.

 

[Annieprkr]

Unfortunately our chicken died as a result of her injuries most of which could not be seen. I am so sorry to hear that your chicken was attacked! The only thing to do is to get your chicken on serious antibiotics as quickly as possible. This would have saved our Lola's life. They aren't too expensive. Good luck.

 

[gggalaxy]

I am sorry to hear about Lola! Yesterday, I decided to take my chicken to the Vet! I am glad I did. They did some blood work and hydrated her! Boy! was Matilda lucky!! she has bruising and and had trauma. The blood tells everything from infection to kidney funtion. That was the biggest concern - kidneys are functioning well. I am not sure about anything broken - I couldn't afford the extra $200 for xrays, but, she does have antibiotics and pain meds! I ended up spending $295 for all the testing, meds and an emergency visit! Not too bad! If I let them do what they wanted for her (an overnight and complete evaluation) it would of ended costing $700! Overall, she is doing pretty good! still quiet and not eating that much, but definitely getting better!