One week post fox attack... is she just stressed?

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Last week, my 2 Marans escape artists got hit by a fox. One was killed and one survived with wounds to her back. The wounds seem minor- compared to many posts I've scoured here- and seem to be healing well. They're dry and beginning to scab over. In the last week, the hen (Doobie), has perked up and become more active, but has also stopped eating and drinking. I'm wondering if there might be more going on with her or if she's just stressed being away from her flock (she's has brief visits through the fence with the flock for the past 3 days which she seems to enjoy but still doesn't eat/drink. The following picture shows the worst of her wounds 2 days after the attack.



She will take a single sip of water, or sometimes a bite of food, but then she shakes her head and wipes her beak, as if she doesn't like the taste or texture. 2-3 days after the attack, she was eating & drinking. I'm not sure why she's stopped now. She will eat blueberries and insects- but she will no longer eat scrambled eggs, wet mash, dry food, or boiled egg. Any solid matter in her poo is dark green despite no access to grass for the past week and the urates are yellow and slimy.


She has started having mild labored breathing (slight gurgling sound) after I handle her. This started several days after the attack. It goes away, but comes back each time I handle her. For this reason, I'm trying to be hands off with her as much as possible.

She sometimes stands as though she is egg bound or has water belly. I felt inside her vent and did not feel an egg. There are no signs of shell or yolk coming out of her vent or in her poo.


I'm a worrywart who always thinks something sneaky might be wrong with my birds, so I wanted to see if anyone thinks this sounds like some sort of internal injury from the fox or if I'm being just that... a worrywart.

She's not happy in the house. That is at least part of the problem. If I put her in a crate inside her run, will she be safe from flies since her wounds are mostly dry/scabbed over.

 

[CombNWattles]

I’m sorry to hear about the fox attack. Her wounds look kind of infected to me. Do you have veterycin spray, or something similar you could put on them?

She could be battling an internal infection as well. I have never had to treat with antibiotics before; I think you can get them without a prescription though.

If she perks up when she’s with the others, give her as much supervised time with them as possible. Being with her flock could bolster her will to live.

*edited to add:* even though her wounds are mostly dry, I would be cautious putting her in the run full-time. She would need to be checked for flies/maggots multiple times a day; they move fast.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I don't think scabs are good, they can allow infection to develop underneath. But don't pick them off.* Instead, coat them twice daily with a triple antibiotic ointment to protect them and keep them moist. Can you get a spray product called Veterycin? It would be good to wash the wounds twice daily before treating with that, or with saline solution. Then blot dry before coating with the ointment. Be sure the ointment does NOT say "with pain reliever." The pain reliever is toxic to chickens.

I think she's stressed because she's lonely and wants to be with her flock. Can you put her in a dog crate outside where she can see them and be near them? At least for part of the day?

*unless an Educator tells you to.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a wire dog crate in which you can place her with food and water, then put her near the chickens with a cover for shade? That would do her a lot of good to get back with them, so she can be reintegrated easily. Another possibility would be to use some BluKote wound spray on her back to hide the wounds and disinfect at the same time. Or make her a small shirt or hen apron out of T shirt material to cover her back and wounds. Supervised visits are best, but the dog crate should be used if you have to leave her. What have you been putting on her wounds?

 

[Eggcessive]

Also, the yellow urates in the dropping may be from a liver problem, either from water belly, a reproductive disorder or infection, cancer, or fatty liver disease. Has she laid eggs recently?

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Do you have a wire dog crate in which you can place her with food and water, then put her near the chickens with a cover for shade? That would do her a lot of good to get back with them, so she can be reintegrated easily. Another possibility would be to use some BluKote wound spray on her back to hide the wounds and disinfect at the same time. Or make her a small shirt or hen apron out of T shirt material to cover her back and wounds. Supervised visits are best, but the dog crate should be used if you have to leave her. What have you been putting on her wounds?

Yes, I have a crate I can put her out with the flock more. I've only done short once a day visits because I was worried about flies getting to her wounds. I bought her a shirt and tried to put it on her but she declined to wear it, lol. I will give it another try.

Before the attack she was not difficult to handle. Now she is difficult to manage, which adds to my worry that there's something else wrong with her I can't see. Therefore, I've been reluctant to want to mess with her too much.

Initially I cleaned her wounds with betadine and used triple antibiotic. Then I switched to saline, followed by Vetricyn, followed by triple antibiotic ointment. I have not messed with her wounds yesterday or today. I'm checking them for signs of infection, but otherwise I thought the drying/scabbing was a good sign so I haven't continued the ointment. I also don't want to cause her any unneccesary discomfort. Do you think I should continue with the cleaning & ointment?

Thank you for responding!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Also, the yellow urates in the dropping may be from a liver problem, either from water belly, a reproductive disorder or infection, cancer, or fatty liver disease. Has she laid eggs recently?

She laid an egg 2 days prior to the attack. She only lays a couple eggs a week, I think. I had 2 Marans in the flock and I couldn't always tell who laid what.

Is there anyway the fox attack could cause her to have water belly or some sort of other issue? Or maybe the stress of the attack has brought out an underlying issue I was unaware of. She seemed in great health before the attack.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I’m sorry to hear about the fox attack. Her wounds look kind of infected to me. Do you have veterycin spray, or something similar you could put on them?

I have been cleaning them with Vetricyn and triple antibiotic ointment.

She could be battling an internal infection as well. I have never had to treat with antibiotics before; I think you can get them without a prescription though.

I have oral antibiotics but I'm reluctant to give them at this stage.

If she perks up when she’s with the others, give her as much supervised time with them as possible. Being with her flock could bolster her will to live.

*edited to add:* even though her wounds are mostly dry, I would be cautious putting her in the run full-time. She would need to be checked for flies/maggots multiple times a day; they move fast.

I'm going to set up another crate for her and try to get her out with them more frequently. Thanks!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I don't think scabs are good, they can allow infection to develop underneath. But don't pick them off.* Instead, coat them twice daily with a triple antibiotic ointment to protect them and keep them moist. Can you get a spray product called Veterycin? It would be good to wash the wounds twice daily before treating with that, or with saline solution. Then blot dry before coating with the ointment. Be sure the ointment does NOT say "with pain reliever." The pain reliever is toxic to chickens.

I had been cleaning her wounds with everything you mentioned here, but stopped when they appeared to be healing over. But what you're saying about sealing in infection makes sense.

If I put her out with the flock and also moisten her wounds up, do you think that could increase the risk of flies getting to her wounds?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I think as advised above you need to keep a very close eye on her. I think the ointment may help.