Raccoon attack! Help!

[Ebony Rose]

You'd be amazed at how well chickens heal. I'll keep your feathered family in my prayers.

 

[Sequel]

I'm so sorry!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would consider learning to tube feed her so that her food and water do not run out the whole in her beak. The beak injury may heal and the tissue may fill in within a short time. She should be brought home to observe and treat if you are able. If you cannot do that, she may starve and dehydrate.

 

[floppysquirrel04]

Tube feeding sounds scary. Any extra advice or clearer pictures than the videos? Can I feed her her food soaked in water?

 

[Eggcessive]

If a vet is available, that would be best. You can get tube feeding equipment there, or from a feed store and online. Here are a series of tube feeding chickens, at least 3 in a row:

 

[coach723]

Here is another thread with lots of info and more video's.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/go-team-tube-feeding-updated-12-29-2019.805728/

 

[UluLaté]

Raccoons.....

When I was younger I thought they were adorable. After you have them hissing at you and ripping up your beloved feathered friends apart, they don’t seem so cute.

Racoons will avoid a property where dogs live. We lost a whole flock three months after our dog died.

One had her face ripped off. We were going to “put her out of her misery”, but she was such a survivor. So we did our best to treat her injuries and she became, I’m embarrassed to say, a house chicken. When we got new chickens she went back out and was one of the first to be killed by the raccoons out of that group.

Someone said that racoons look at your coop like a Mcdonalds...it’s fast, easy and convenient. Anytime they are in the area they will stop in for a bite. You have to make it a place to avoid. Get some barking dogs....

 

[floppysquirrel04]

Their guard dog didn’t get let out that night. If he had, he would have heard the commotion and stopped it early .​

 

[floppysquirrel04]

I just fed the girls, and Dublin is doing better than yesterday. I was worried she wouldn’t eat, but she was eating and drinking with the other two. It wasn’t as vigorous, but she’s for sure eating and hungry. The gash is smaller than I thought it was, so she might be able to recover fully in her own, other than some medicine on her wound.

 

[coach723]

That's good news. As long as the trachea and esophagus are not damaged, and food is not leaking into the wound, she should do OK and hopefully recover. I would keep it moist with an ointment until it heals over. Please keep us updated with how she does.