PLEASE READ: Hawk attack, hens vomiting/sick.

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

Hi all,

For reference, here are the names of my six barred rock hens and a short description:

Courtney - Biggest hen of the flock, lots of black feathers, gentle giant.
Wendy - Second biggest, spot of missing feathers on her back that were there when we purchased her, usually friendly.
Vicky - Third biggest, very light feathers, friendly.
Becky - Small, light feathers, sometimes aggressive towards other hens, terrified of humans.
Penelope - Small, flaps around a lot, but not very timid. Friendly.
Gertrude - Smallest and chick-like, with a very tiny crown and high-pitched squawks. We have not ever witnessed her lay or act like she wants to lay. We do not know her age but suspect she is not of laying age yet. Sometimes pecked by Becky, but not much at all. Very friendly and sweet, likes to be held or sit on my arm for 15+ minutes at a time.

I was maybe five feet away from my hens this afternoon, letting them free range outside their hardware cloth enclosure as I watched them. I heard loud clucking and turned around, and witnessed a hawk jumping on Courtney (about twice as big as Gertrude). I ran toward Courtney and tried to shoo the flock, but it did not budge. I eventually had to kick the hawk off my girl and it flew away. The yard was piled with black feathers in less than 5 seconds, and much of Courtney's tail feathers are missing, and a little spot on her lower back has no feathers. I immediately placed them back in the hardware cloth enclosure and went home for a little bit.

I came back outside and Courtney and Vicky were closing their eyes slowly. I've seen them do this a couple of times near the end of the day, and I always suspected they were tired. I need to leave the house from 3 pm to 5 pm every day, and I normally keep them in the hardware cloth enclosure. However, just to be safe, I decided to move them back to their wooden coop that is inside the garage (with the garage door closed, of course). As I was carrying Vicky, I felt wetness on my arm. I looked at her face and she was vomiting clear liquid all over myself and the garage floor. It kept coming out of her mouth. It looks like water and has no smell - not sure what's going on. I need to leave in less than 5 minutes, so all six are in the coop. Courtney has not vomited as of 10 minutes ago. Can someone please give me some information on why this is happening, or tips on what to do? I will try to upload pictures later but really need to get going.

I really don't want to lose my girls. They're my best friends. Please help me.

Kuritsa

 

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

Does anyone have any ideas on what caused Vicky to vomit, and what I can do to help her? Thank you.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Sometimes, if the chicken just drank water and their crop is pressed on, they’ll vomit the water back up. If she hasn’t vomited since then, I wouldn’t worry.

 

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

Sometimes, if the chicken just drank water and their crop will is pressed on, they’ll vomit the water back up. If she hasn’t vomited since then, I wouldn’t worry.

Thank you for the reply. It seemed almost exactly like water - so that's probably what it was.

 

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

Vicky vomited once again when I picked her up today. It was less vomit than yesterday, but this time it had a slight odor and brownish color. Courtney (the hen who was attacked) spent much of the day sitting against a wall of the enclosure, puffed up and eyes closed. The other four are doing fine - although they freeze at the slightest sound of a bird call. I did see a hawk sitting near the enclosure this afternoon, which was very concerning.

Are Vicky's vomiting and Courtney's puffiness caused by trauma from the hawk attack, or is it likely that they got some sort of disease? More importantly, what can I do to help them? Any information would be great. Thank you.

 

[CoopBoots]

Very sorry this is happening. I'm still learning, but if I suspect an illness/injury I try and do a full assessment. Are they eating and drinking normally? Can you isolate your sickly hens long enough to check their poop and take pictures? Do a crop check at bedtime for fullness, then check in the morning to be sure the crops are emptying properly. You can also inspect for feather condition/mites or lice just to cover all bases. Gathering this info may help more experienced people here to give you guidance on whether there's more than stress from the attack going on.

Wishing you the absolute best for your hens!!

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Vicky vomited once again when I picked her up today. It was less vomit than yesterday, but this time it had a slight odor and brownish color. Courtney (the hen who was attacked) spent much of the day sitting against a wall of the enclosure, puffed up and eyes closed. The other four are doing fine - although they freeze at the slightest sound of a bird call. I did see a hawk sitting near the enclosure this afternoon, which was very concerning.

Are Vicky's vomiting and Courtney's puffiness caused by trauma from the hawk attack, or is it likely that they got some sort of disease? More importantly, what can I do to help them? Any information would be great. Thank you.

Aw man, I’m sorry to hear that. Perhaps @Eggcessive can be of more help than I can.

 

[BastyPutt]

I did see a hawk sitting near the enclosure this afternoon, which was very concerning.

There is a lot going on, but yes - this is something to be concerned about. Along with nearly all other predators, once they have a target, it is going to very hard to get them away.

We had an owl picking off some hens that were roosting in trees at night - which their roosting was fine because somehow have never really had any kind predator problems. It ended up getting 4 of them.

Anyway, the owl ended up nesting in a ponderosa tree about 150 feet from the coop and stayed for nearly 5 months, or until it hibernated or migrated (no clue as to what an owl does).

Because they only hunt at night, it was an easy fix. Check your local ordinances and see what help you may get with it. Under no circumstance can you harm, trap or kill a migratory bird, but you can legally harass them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Vicky vomited once again when I picked her up today. It was less vomit than yesterday, but this time it had a slight odor and brownish color. Courtney (the hen who was attacked) spent much of the day sitting against a wall of the enclosure, puffed up and eyes closed. The other four are doing fine - although they freeze at the slightest sound of a bird call. I did see a hawk sitting near the enclosure this afternoon, which was very concerning.

Are Vicky's vomiting and Courtney's puffiness caused by trauma from the hawk attack, or is it likely that they got some sort of disease? More importantly, what can I do to help them? Any information would be great. Thank you.

Check to make sure their crops are emptying overnight.
When was their last egg?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

Very sorry this is happening. I'm still learning, but if I suspect an illness/injury I try and do a full assessment. Are they eating and drinking normally? Can you isolate your sickly hens long enough to check their poop and take pictures? Do a crop check at bedtime for fullness, then check in the morning to be sure the crops are emptying properly. You can also inspect for feather condition/mites or lice just to cover all bases. Gathering this info may help more experienced people here to give you guidance on whether there's more than stress from the attack going on.

Wishing you the absolute best for your hens!!

Vicky seems to be eating and drinking normally, and Courtney is eating somewhat less (but still eating nonetheless) and seems to be drinking normal amounts. Both of their poop, is white, green or black, as it usually is. How do I check for mites or lice? Also what is crop?

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. And sorry for all the questions.