One of my chicken was attacked by a small rat, is it safe to keep her?

[SilverFox2]

Last night I was winding down the evening and having a drink when I heard one of my chickens making an unusual sound. I go outside and see that a small rat has it by the leg and that my chicks head is bloody. I grabbed my girl and put some vetericyn on her wounds, then brought her inside and put in a brooder that I have. My question is whether I can keep my young hen, or do I run the risk of her having a disease from the rat bites? Thanks for any help!

 

[SunHwaKwon]

If you have antibiotics I would give her some. Keep an eye on the wounds.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

How old is the one that was attacked?

 

[nightowl223]

While it's true that rats can carry lots of diseases, it's not a certainty that the chicken will catch anything from the bites. I would just treat the wounds, and keep the victim away from everyone else while she's healing.

I generally treat wounds with a Blukote-type liquid, called Farnam Blue Lotion, the one with the swab attached to the lid. If it's a deep or serious wound, I dose the victim with penicillin, under the skin, for the first couple of days, then go to duramycin in his or her water.

 

[Morrigan]

I had a rat get in my brooder once and several chicks were bit. The were cornish crosses', so they were big, hardy chicks, but still only a few days old. I washed and put vetericyn on the wounds. They were all perfectly fine and healed up well, including one that had a pretty good chunk bitten out on its head.

The rat met its demise the next night.