Raccoon attack! Help!

[floppysquirrel04]

I found a very gruesome scene when I fed my 14 week old Easter Eggers today. They are still in a temporary pen, and it’s not as protected as I’d like it to be. Their new one will be finished this week. They also choose sleep outside . Anyway, when I went over there the first thing I saw was feathers laying on the ground, more than usual. All of them were moving, so I didn’t think much more had happened than a scuffle with each other. Nope, one of them was limping very bad when I fed them. Upon inspection, her crop is hanging off her through her skin, and her leg is completely gone. There’s a huge hole in her, and she smells like death. She won’t make it, we are going to put her out of her misery . I separated her, and went to check on the others. I moved them into a completely protected and covered trailer. One of the others also hasn’t escaped unharmed, unfortunately. Dublin, as I call her, had a thumb-sized gash under her beak. I sprayed Blu-Kote on it, but it looks pretty bad. She’s still running around, walking fine. She tried to eat a little food too. Will I need to put her down as well? I hope not, but I can see the gash thru her throat if I look into her beak. Please help!

 

[floppysquirrel04]

Sorry for how bad this looks, but here’s my one that got its leg ripped off. We are planning on putting her out of her misery, but is there anything that can be done. She smells so terrible, and I feel so bad for her. But if she can be helped, I would like to do it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

My advice is to put her out of her misery.
That wound is horrific.

 

[glassdragonfly]

So sorry! I have seen chickens do fine with one leg,but the crop issue worries me. The small can just be dried blood and the coons smell. I would clean her up,see if the skin can be wrapped around the crop(if the crop is not opened up). She looks very alert so I would try to save her. Give her a warm,safe place to rest after cleaning her up and see if she will eat or drink. Best of luck!

 

[roosterhavoc]

Put her down. Trap the raccoons.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Nevermind you’re in California. You may not be allowed to trap them anymore.

 

[Eggcessive]

You are doing the right thing to put the worse injured hen out of her misery. The one with the hole through her beak might possibly survive if she can get enough to eat and drink. Tube feeding her might be best for a few days until the hole heals. For now instead of BluKote which is for minor wounds, I would use some chlorhexidene (hibiclens) or Vetericyn Wound Spray on her wound, and put some plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment on the outside of the wound. Here is a good article on tube feeding with videos:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/go-team-tube-feeding-updated-12-29-2019.805728/

 

[floppysquirrel04]

Thank you all. The hens are at my friends farm while my coop is being built. I will probably cull her. The wound is really bad. I’ll try to get a picture of the other one, and put vetricin on it.

 

[twendt]

A Raccoon made the mistake of staking out my coop, I saw him the night before outside my girl's fenced in (open from the top) run. It's actually my enclosed garden, my coop is inside. I trapped the vicious creature and it was a 35lb Buck that my mother came and shot it dead. I have a raccoon proof coop, I feel they are the biggest threat to my girls. I live in a Suburb with Deer, Raccoons, Coyotes, a few Red Fox and of course hawks. My girls have cover and hiding places. Since I had that Raccoon killed 2 yrs ago, I haven't had many predators staking out my girls.

 

[floppysquirrel04]

Well, “Cleo” the one legged chicken was “dispatched”. I’m sad, she was the lead hen, but she wasn’t going to make it no matter what we did. She smelled like death and infection, and when we went back to the ranch tonight she was already nearly dead. I sprayed Vetricin on Dublin. She also had a small injury on the inside of her wing, but I don’t think anything is broken, and I sprayed it and put triple antibiotic ointment stuff on it. The picture makes it look worse, but there is no blood, the color is all from the Blu-Kote. Sorry the pic is really bad, I had to pin her down gently with one hand and take pictures, and move her feathers out of the way, LOL. I’m not sure how she’ll do, I can see down into her throat through this wound. Thankfully, it’s not a large puncture, even if it looks like it.