Predator got my hen—kill her or wait until morning to better assess?

[LestersFlat]

All good advice.

I have no safe place to keep her in the house...I have 2 big dogs and 2 cats who would eat her given the chance. They are all new to the chicken-keeping situation, as am I. So I left her in a large crate in the coop overnight. It is not supposed to be very cold, and probably less stressful than having a dog or cat (or 2) trying to get to her. It is covered in hardware cloth, so the other chickens cannot get to her.

I think she may be OK with some special care, but I am worried about the long-term issue. Do I just keep replacing the lost hens? Or try to eliminate the predators (still unknown)?

Thank you, guys! I'll report back in the am.

 

[mommyofthreewithchicks]

Quote:
This is what I do as well.

 

[LestersFlat]

Progress report: Kept the injured hen in the Chicken Hospital (a wire crate in the coop) overnight. I could not tell how badly she was injured other than that she was lying on her back, feet in the air, and not moving until I came up to her. Today, I had hoped to leave her in the crate until I could further assess her injuries, but my husband decided that she was fine and let her back in the coop with the rest. He also decided that they would all be safer if locked up and not allowed to free range for awhile. They have a large coop (2 human size doors and 5 big windows) and also a large fenced area behind it. They have been free ranging since September, so they all were a bit surprised at being imprisoned, but otherwise seem OK and are not trying to escape, which they used to do before.

The injured hen is missing almost all of her tail feathers, and some on her back and butt. Since we were altogether in the coop and she was walking around and going after the scratch feed I gave them, I decided it would not be a good idea to try to pick her up and look at her more closely. I am a little afraid that if she does have wounds, that they need to be cleaned, but I don't want to make too big a deal out of it while they are all watching, not to mention the additional stress on her at being investigated. She is one of my largest hens, an SLW, and has never let me pick her up until yesterday when she didn't have a choice. It's a shame I could not see her better last night.

I guess if she is walking around and eating with the rest, that she will recover? Do you think I should force the issue and try to look at her more closely?

I will go out again a little bit later and try to get a picture of the poor girl. Everyone I talk to around here thinks it was a fox, and that I probably disturbed it by taking the dogs out there when I did. Otherwise she probably would have been carted away like the other girl.

Thanks, you guys, for your help!

 

[7L Farm]

I would definitely pick her up gently & look her over. If the skin is torn I would put Blu-Kote on it . Something to cover the wound & keep it from getting infected. Chickens are cannibals & will peck her wound & possibly kill her. Personally, I would keep her isolated till she healed up. Thats just me.

 

[bobbi-j]

If you think it would be too traumatic to chase her down, catch her and look at her during the day, you can wait until after dark and go pick her off the roost, and either study her with a good flashlight or bring her in and look her over real good. I agree with 7L that she should be isolated until healed to prevent the other birds from pecking at her wounds.

 

[LestersFlat]

OK, I will go out there in a bit, while it's still light out, and see what I can find.

 

[KKatknap]

It MAY have been a fox...but it sounds kinda like it could have been a dog to me. I can't imagine a fox not finishing the job and taking her with him. If it had enough time to remove that many feathers...it seems like it could have had time to snag her and run. Whereas a dog is just in it mainly to play. Just my 2 cents. Either way, keeping them locked up for awhile is a good idea!

 

[LestersFlat]

Here are the best photos I could get.

I spent about a half hour out there and watched them all together in the coop. The hen allowed me to pick her up, but got very agitated when I tried to inspect more closely. It is hard enough to hold her close, without tucking her under my arm, and when I do that, I am covering up the parts where her wounds would be. There might be some blood right on both sides, where the wings attach to her body, but I could see it more in the photos than when I tried to look up close. How do you get the feathers out of the way to see the skin? I will try again tomorrow with my husband to help me—one to hold her, one to inspect.

She kept her wings down almost to the floor the whole time I was there, but was walking around eating and drinking with the rest. Maybe broken wings? She also tried to get up to the roost with the others, but couldn't jump up to the ladder to get there. I was afraid to lift her up and then have her fall back down.

None of the others seemed to bother with her, not even my obnoxious roo. I was even thinking that he might have been the one to attack her, but I don't think he would have treated her so well today if that was the case. Since the chickens were "cooped up", I took my dogs out there right about the same time I think she was attacked yesterday. Other than finding the spots where her feathers were still on the ground, they did not seem to find anything interesting. I don't think it was another dog who did this, because I've never seen any around that weren't on a leash. There are dogs that definitely run loose, including mine, but I never see them on our property.

It will remain a mystery, just like the other hen who simply disappeared.

 

[Shireshome]

She looks like she will be just fine. However if it was my bird I would go over her just to be sure there are no problems, but I'm a very have-to-know kinda flock keeper. Seriously though I wouldn't have guess she had been attacked, so I wouldn't expect to see anything too terrible.

 

[theoldchick]

She looks pretty good from the photos. Her comb and wattles are nice and pink. Her droopy wings could be from trauma to the lower spine. Or pulled muscles. Something obviously grabbed her tail and gave her a good yank. With time her droopy wings should improve. Now your main concern is to keep maggots from hatching in her wounds. Inspect her at night when she's roosting in the coop. Darkness makes them easier to catch. Shine the flashlight on her and gently pick her up. She may squawk and flap her wings but give her a good exam. Do this nightly for several nights to make sure her wounds are healing. During the day observe her activity level and appetite.

I think she should be fine from looking at the picture. She's giving you the stink eye which is a good sign. She's a lucky gal!