Nursing a hen that was attacked.

[RookieEgger]

So Saturday afternoon something attacked my flock. After spending some time around the property determined that whatever it was successfully got one of my hens. Went out yesterday morning to let them out of the coop and there she was wandering out from the wood line with some battle scars. So I’ve got her inside out of the cold in a crate. She made it through the day/night. She was standing all day yesterday and so far today she’s just laying down. I’ve only seen her drink once and so far eat nothing. Am I fighting a losing battle here? I want like heck to nurse her back but I don’t have much experience with this. Yesterday we soaked her and have sprayed her with vetrycn spray (spelling probably wrong) and the white gunk you probably see in the wounds is a alum/bag balm mixture that was recomended.

 

[RookieEgger]

So Saturday afternoon something attacked my flock. After spending some time around the property determined that whatever it was successfully got one of my hens. Went out yesterday morning to let them out of the coop and there she was wandering out from the wood line with some battle scars. So I’ve got her inside out of the cold in a crate. She made it through the day/night. She was standing all day yesterday and so far today she’s just laying down. I’ve only seen her drink once and so far eat nothing. Am I fighting a losing battle here? I want like heck to nurse her back but I don’t have much experience with this. Yesterday we soaked her and have sprayed her with vetrycn spray (spelling probably wrong) and the white gunk you probably see in the wounds is a alum/bag balm mixture that was recomended.

 

[RookieEgger]

She also has another pretty good gash under he left wing but I don’t wanna disturb her for a photo.

 

[Chicken_girl33]

You might want to separate her and put her under a heat lamp. Also give her some high protein foods to encourage feather regrowth. We had a pullet that was attacked once and we used Vetercyn and Wound Coat and that seemed to help. Good luck with the hen.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It sounds like you have treated her wounds well.
Did you get a chance to look underneath her and at her vent too, just to make sure there is no damage that is hidden by feathers?

Try to keep her hydrated. You can offer her sugar water, a little gatorade, poultry vitamins, etc. whatever to entice her to drink.
Wet feed is sometimes well accepted. Mine like scrambled/hard boiled eggs as well.

Watch the wounds for signs of infection (redness, pus, bad odor, heat). You may see some bruising in a day or two, that looks a bit green.
The Vetericyn is good stuff! You can also use triple antibiotic ointment. When treating her, especially the gash under the wing, you may need to trim feathers away from the wound.

Depending on what got a hold of her, she may have some internal injuries from being squeezed, it's hard to know.
Give her some time. Chickens can recover and heal remarkably well.

You're doing good. She's warm and protected. Hopefully she will recover soon. Please keep us posted.

 

[Trux]

All you can do is keep those wounds clean and keep using your wound care stuff. Keep her warm and try and encourage her to feed and drink. Wish you luck and keep us posted on how she is doing! Merry Christmas!

 

[RookieEgger]

Thanks for the replies. I’ll set up the heat lamp and try and make her comfy.

 

[RookieEgger]

Still can’t get her to drink or eat. She can’t even really stand. Starting to get discouraged I’ve got the heat lamp on the crate and will continue to spray the wounds every few hours and just hope for the best

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Still can’t get her to drink or eat. She can’t even really stand. Starting to get discouraged I’ve got the heat lamp on the crate and will continue to spray the wounds every few hours and just hope for the best

I'm sorry she is not doing well
I would make sure that she doesn't get too hot under the lamp if she is not able to move very well.
You can try dripping water beside her beak to see if she will take it in.

Tubing or syringing fluids into her is another option.

 

[RookieEgger]

I'm sorry she is not doing well
I would make sure that she doesn't get too hot under the lamp if she is not able to move very well.
You can try dripping water beside her beak to see if she will take it in.

Tubing or syringing fluids into her is another option.

I’ve got the lamp 2.5-3 feet away from her. It’s probably 50 degrees out in the garage where she is so I don’t think it’s too hot. She did feel kinda warm, which I’m hoping is a normal warm. She’s made it another night, I’ve got her to sip some water and a milk/banana/peanut butter shake. I just hope she’s not too miserable and in pain, I don’t want her suffering. From what I’ve read chickens don’t show much emotion when in pain. Never thought I’d be torn up over chickens, I won’t be letting them out of the run anytime soon after this.