Post Weasel Attack Possible Blindness

[Chullicken]

Currently have a house chicken in recovery from a weasel attack I walked in on. She had two 1-2" holes in the side of her neck near her earlobes. Thought she was a goner but had this amazing drive to live so I am giving her that chance. Almost two weeks later her wounds have covered themselves up, she is some what active, eating and drinking. I come to believe she now is blind in one eye as one lid is always half closed and not alert if I offer her anything on that side. My question really is having never been in this situation before, do chickens have nerves or something else in that area that effects eye site and is it possible she will be like this permanently? Also concerned she will pre molt ( Having some random feather loss, no bald patches though) given she was in 30 degree weather and now is in doors. She is more than welcomed in my house until such time as she will be able to manage. She is a pet and loved foremost and above all, any help or advice is welcomed.

Breed/Type: Red Sex Link
Age: 2.5 Years Old
Symptoms: Yellow/White watery Stool with coal black globs, General Lethargy, Does not extend her neck (Rarely but she does sometimes) Doesn't keep food in her beak well drops it a lot and tries again, Some sporadic feather loss
Food: Hand Fed twice a day/Bowl with water and food available, Softened Layer Pellets, Meal Worms, Baby Spinach, Corn Scratch
Medication: Anti Bacterial Spray on Wounds, Electrolyte Powder, ProBiotics
Housing: 26" Dog Crate, Wood Shaving Bedding, Half Covered with towel, Near heater approx. temperature 65 Degrees

 

[staceyj]

Pictures of her wounds and her eye up close especially would be helpful.

It’s possible she got pecked during the attack.
Another possibility is she couldn’t see out of that eye and that’s WHY she didn’t see her attacker.

I’d increase the temperature in the room she’s in too. Warmth really seems to help them. Their normal body temp runs a lot hotter than ours (+/- 106).
You can temper it off as she recovers.

I’m thinking I’d try a gentle saline wash a couple times a day followed by a ribbon of terramycin ointment x3-5 days to rule out possible infection/corneal ulceration and just see if there is any improvement.


*I love this stuff and have used it as a wound wash and even as an emergency eyewash (on myself) even though its supposed to be a nasal irrigant. It’s very gentle and doesn’t sting.

 

[Chullicken]

Pictures of her wounds and her eye up close especially would be helpful.

It’s possible she got pecked during the attack.
Another possibility is she couldn’t see out of that eye and that’s WHY she didn’t see her attacker.

I’d increase the temperature in the room she’s in too. Warmth really seems to help them. Their normal body temp runs a lot hotter than ours (+/- 106).
You can temper it off as she recovers.

I’m thinking I’d try a gentle saline wash a couple times a day followed by a ribbon of terramycin ointment x3-5 days to rule out possible infection/corneal ulceration and just see if there is any improvement.


*I love this stuff and have used it as a wound wash and even as an emergency eyewash (on myself) even though its supposed to be a nasal irrigant. It’s very gentle and doesn’t sting. View attachment 1612985

I'll work on those pictures, wounds are not much to see anymore as they're healing up nice. So far from what I've seen close up her eye is clear and looks normal just the eye lid is half closed. No white, cloudy or crusty. I bought a heated perch from TSC...missing a leg! I do have a seed mat, I will see about adding that when I clean her cage out.

 

[staceyj]

The black in her stool is a little concerning to me since you said it’s two weeks out from the event.

Initially, did you find any abdominal injuries at all?

Her posture might tell a bit of the story of how she’s feeling, that’s why I asked if you could post a few pictures.

Hopefully some more people will come along and chime in.

 

[Chullicken]

The black in her stool is a little concerning to me since you said it’s two weeks out from the event.

Initially, did you find any abdominal injuries at all?

Her posture might tell a bit of the story of how she’s feeling, that’s why I asked if you could post a few pictures.

Hopefully some more people will come along and chime in.

She was having some issues prior I was working on figuring out. Poopy butt, lethargic, sat around like a fluffy ball, eating and drinking was very minimal (Unless it was greens or snow/ice). One of her feet curled backward as well. I put her on a high Riboflavin diet with plenty of snow/ice with Probiotics added in and ACV. Also gave them all a mash with red pepper/corn/wheat bread crumbs/oregano/ACV and garlic mixture. She perked right up a few days later and was steadily becoming more active and involved until the attack. I also changed out and tilled their run and changed out the bedding. Girls where also dusted for bugs.

 

[Eggcessive]

Could you also get a picture of her leg and curled toes if they are still doing something odd? At her age, she might be having some issues with her reproductive tract, causing the multicolored poops, lethargy, and puffing up. I have seen some black bits in stools of hens with internal laying problems. I would stop the electrolyte powder, since after 2 weeks, it might be causing loose poops. It would be good to feed mostly layer or flock raiser feed as 90 % of her diet, since it is balanced and has all the minerals and vitamins she needs. ACV is occasionally okay, but not really necessary. Wetting the feed once a day in a bowl with a lot of water can get more fluid into them. Hopefully, the droopy eye and odd posturing of the leg are not signs of something neurological such as Mareks. You are so fortunately to have rescued her from the weasel. They can get into holes as small as 1 inch, such as through chicken wire.

 

[Chullicken]

Could you also get a picture of her leg and curled toes if they are still doing something odd? At her age, she might be having some issues with her reproductive tract, causing the multicolored poops, lethargy, and puffing up. I have seen some black bits in stools of hens with internal laying problems. I would stop the electrolyte powder, since after 2 weeks, it might be causing loose poops. It would be good to feed mostly layer or flock raiser feed as 90 % of her diet, since it is balanced and has all the minerals and vitamins she needs. ACV is occasionally okay, but not really necessary. Wetting the feed once a day in a bowl with a lot of water can get more fluid into them. Hopefully, the droopy eye and odd posturing of the leg are not signs of something neurological such as Mareks. You are so fortunately to have rescued her from the weasel. They can get into holes as small as 1 inch, such as through chicken wire.

Was a hole I had no idea was there, underneath my coop I fenced in over the summer for some 'cool' shaded area. Was crazy went out to walk my dog and she went nuts and ran off to the coop and all I heard was something climbing up wire and across the PVC panel roof. Checked in and two hens had been mauled. Was horrid, keeps me up at night to this very day. Put one down, trying to save the current one.
Her walking issue has pretty much been resolved, occasional loss of balance but its very random and rare now. Some other folks on here suggested she had a Riboflavin malnutrition issue hence the foot issue which really went back to normal once I gave her some wheat bread twice a day for a few days. I had started hand feeding her away from the flock and she greatly improved in a matter of a few days which was awesome. She suffered some major injuries and I think she still had and has some unresolved issues previously before the attack.
I've been soaking her food because she can't seem to peck straight and it falls out of her mouth. Seems she can eat a little easier if its soft and I break the bits up to small pieces. So I'll loose the ACV and Electrolytes and see how she fairs. Was trying to fix one thing at a time, the neck injuries seemed the most present and serious. Just really worried she's been through all this and has something horribly serious and fatal like Ovarian Cancer. Still keeping the hope, she's gone from lethargic to more active ever day.

 

[Chullicken]

Just to update anyone and everyone who contributed, I accidentally left her cage door open and she wrecked havoc in my house while I was at work. She hopped out on her own and is beginning to act like a chicken again. Her poop has also changed from white milky with black to solid, green with a tiny nugget of dark/black on top which I think is a vast improvement. Though her one eye still seems not right, her ability to eat regular food has greatly improved in just two days.

 

[Eggcessive]

Wow, chicken on the loose in the house...I will bet that was messy. So glad to hear that she is doing better. Best wishes for a continued recovery.