- Thread starter
- #11
Update on Doobie, my fox attack victim:
Overall she is much improved- mentally and physically. She is eating and drinking more (still not as much as she should, but more). No signs of the labored breathing and/or the water belly stance. Her wounds are mostly healed up and feathers are already growing back. In the next day or 2 I doubt I'll even be able to see her wounds through the feather growth.
In case anyone is interested in hearing what we've been doing this last week:
After my post and receiving suggestions that I continue keeping her wounds moist and treated, I decided to do just that. But... since they were pretty dried up and she was pretty miserable, I decided to let her do the one thing she's been trying to do and that was dust bathe. I let her go to town in her run (rooster and most hens locked in the yard). Then I cleaned her up, which caused the scabs to come off. The wounds looked great. I applied triple antibiotic a few times for another day, and decided to let them scab over again. I haven't treated them since although I do check them a couple times a day.
She's continued to live (against her will) in my house. She gets 1-2 visits to her flock. There doesn't seem to be any issues with the hens- her place in the pecking order has kept. They don't mess with her when she visits, but I do only leave 1-3 with her at a time (out of the 5). The other Marans that was killed was her clutchmate & BFF. She doesn't really care for the other hens, so she spends her visits standing against the side of the run as close to her rooster as she can get. And he does the same.
I did set up a crate in the run, as suggested, but she HATES it. She was more miserable out there than in the house. She just paced relentlessly- wouldn't eat or drink. The rooster paced with her. I tried a few visits in the crate, but it just stressed everyone out too much, so I gave up on it.
She really wants to get back with the rooster, but I'm assuming I need to wait until her feathers come in more. Anyone have any advice on when I can let them reunite? I'm sure he'll lavish her with affection.
Overall she is much improved- mentally and physically. She is eating and drinking more (still not as much as she should, but more). No signs of the labored breathing and/or the water belly stance. Her wounds are mostly healed up and feathers are already growing back. In the next day or 2 I doubt I'll even be able to see her wounds through the feather growth.
In case anyone is interested in hearing what we've been doing this last week:
After my post and receiving suggestions that I continue keeping her wounds moist and treated, I decided to do just that. But... since they were pretty dried up and she was pretty miserable, I decided to let her do the one thing she's been trying to do and that was dust bathe. I let her go to town in her run (rooster and most hens locked in the yard). Then I cleaned her up, which caused the scabs to come off. The wounds looked great. I applied triple antibiotic a few times for another day, and decided to let them scab over again. I haven't treated them since although I do check them a couple times a day.
She's continued to live (against her will) in my house. She gets 1-2 visits to her flock. There doesn't seem to be any issues with the hens- her place in the pecking order has kept. They don't mess with her when she visits, but I do only leave 1-3 with her at a time (out of the 5). The other Marans that was killed was her clutchmate & BFF. She doesn't really care for the other hens, so she spends her visits standing against the side of the run as close to her rooster as she can get. And he does the same.
I did set up a crate in the run, as suggested, but she HATES it. She was more miserable out there than in the house. She just paced relentlessly- wouldn't eat or drink. The rooster paced with her. I tried a few visits in the crate, but it just stressed everyone out too much, so I gave up on it.
She really wants to get back with the rooster, but I'm assuming I need to wait until her feathers come in more. Anyone have any advice on when I can let them reunite? I'm sure he'll lavish her with affection.
