Plymouth Rock Chook attacked an maimed

[NewbiePlymouthRock]

So last night i had a horrid experience. Luckily I was awake until about 2:30am when I heard a horrifying cry from my chook. I quickly ran downstairs and outside only to find 3 rackoons attacking my chooks. One of them had my alpha female by the head/neck and I thought she was dead for sure. Anyway long story short I scared away the rackoons, hit them with a long stick on theur backs, and safely stowed my chickens in the garage as our coup is obviously not predator proof. The hurt chook got up and wobbled about. She had her eye gouged out and multiple lacerations. So now at that point i go to the garage with sterikixing supplies and I'm cleaning her with saline solution and while I'm doing this she shakes her head and it got into the inner canthus of my eye. So shit what to do now. It was 3am by this point i wasnt't thinking clearly, I just new I had to clean her wounds. Has anyone else had this happen? What were the results?

So three main questions:

1. How likely is it to catch rabies this way. The doc assured me that I have about a 0 to none chance of contracting the disease.

And
2. How soon should i start her on antibiotics? I've already begun flushing out her facial wounds and then found another on her backside. Cleaned that and I am keeping her in a box inside away from the other chooks, fed and watered although shes not even attempting to eat or drink.

3. She also laid an egg this morning despite her injuries is this safe to eat?

I'm new to all of this and am from Australia originally so I've never had to deal with possible rabies exposure.

 

[Eggcessive]

Did you rinse your eye out well with water or saline? I might check with a vet or another doctor to get a second opinion. Raccoons can carry rabies, but not all of them have it. I can understand your concern.
Your hen sounds like she is either in shock or in bad shape. I would keep her in a quiet dim spot, perhaps inside if possible, but away from flies (probably not a problem in the southern hemisphere.) By tomorrow, if she become more alert, offer her water to prevent her from becoming dehydrated. If she takes that, then try some soft chopped egg, tuna, or wet chicken feed. The egg is safe to eat, but might be tood to let her eat it. Do you have antibiotic ointment to use on her wounds? I hope that she survives. By tomorrow you should know more about survival, and then can treat with antibiotics if your vet can help there. Look for redness, swelling, or a bad odor or purulent (pus) drainage from the wounds.

 

[NewbiePlymouthRock]

I did rinse with saline but not until a little while later. Dazed as it was so early. There is no ourulent drainage. She is not eating at all drinking very small amounts. I've been cleaning her wounds twice once in the morning and once at nighy. I use hydrogen peroxide to cleanse the wound then i dry it with clean cotron balls then i apply neomycin cream to the wound on her fave and thigh. She seems really lethargic. So i am assumiing she may have a fever. Im going to get antibiotics today. She laid an egg yesterday. Will this be infected? Should i discard any eggs from now on?

 

[Eggcessive]

The only problem I see with future eggs is the possibility of a rabid raccoon. I would just feed her her own eggs back, but she probably will stop laying eventually due to her attack. The peroxide is good to use once to cleanse the wound, but from now on I would just use saline or water, and continue the neosporin ointment. I don't know if you would want to tube feed her if she continues to be very weak, but here is a good thread about tube or crop feeding: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/updated-go-team-tube-feeding.805728/

Tube or crop feeding is sometimes a good way to give fluids and food without choking them. Vets sell feeding tubes and syringes, but you can also use a piece of plastic aquarium or other tubing. Melt to soften the end that goes into the throat so it won't cut.
Get a large syringe 35 to 60 ml. Use chicken feed ground finely in a food processor or blender, and water. Baby bird or parrot feed works as well.

A feeding tube goes down the (chicken's) right side of the back of the throat to the esophagus to the crop--where the syringe is in the picture. Avoid the opening or slit in the middle which is the trachea or airway.