Raccoon Attack :(

imon2ya

In the Brooder
Jun 7, 2019
9
14
16
Hi Everyone... I'm grateful I've found this forum. Need a little advice....

I have 3 hens that we got last year. First time ever having chickens and I love them to pieces. They're very spoiled and attached to me.

Last night, we forgot to close their pen and were awaken to the horrible sound of a hen in distress while running in our backyard. I knew immediately something had her. When I got out there, we could hear something in the bushes. Thought it was my chicken, but no, it was the mean raccoon. It took off once it knew I spotted him. I quickly found my hen hunkered down by a bush. Her face was bloody. :(. I held her for a couple of hours knowing she was going to die in my arms. She held on though. I found two good puncture wounds behind each eye. I didn't want to stress her any further, so I made her a bed in a dog crate and let her rest, hoping she would make it a few hours. She's still hanging on. After reading many blogs, I went to the feed store and bought some Vetricyn Plus Poultry spray and Electrolyte supplement for water. Cleaned her up with Peroxide and applied the spray. I gave her the water with a bulb syringe and she drank plenty (yaaaaay). Sad part is, her little eyes were matted shut with blood and even after soaking it off, she still kept her little eyes closed. :(

So now that I've told you the long version of our dramatic event, I'm asking for advice. Is there anything else I should be doing? Also, the little openings on her beak, which I assume are her nostrils are completely clogged with dried blood and I can't get it cleaned out. Is that important for her breathing? Or should I leave it alone for now. She's resting in our dog crate and is at least on her feet now. I'm just heartbroken for her, knowing this is ALL.MY.FAULT..

Thank you in advance for any and all help.
 
I am so sorry take heart many can survive these wounds I do want to add Welcome to backyard chickens but wow okay no more peroxide please it will good bacteria also triple antibiotic no pain killer please will help may take a few days to have her know if her eyes will work again soon as you are able to post photos please do
 
Welcome to BYC, and sorry about your hen. Can you post any picture of her face and wounds? The Vetericyn is very good for treating the wounds, and I would use some plain Triple Antibiotic Ointment on the wounds twice a day.

If you can use a QTip and some peroxide on each nostril, one at a time, to soften the blood and use a toothpick carefully to get it open, that may work.

Don’t beat yourself up—we have all forgot to lock up, but most of the time, we have been lucky enough to not have a predator attack.

Try helping her eat some chopped scrambled egg, wet chicken feed, and fluids are especially important. Watch for signs of infection, when an antibiotic may be needed. Usually cleaning the wounds will help so they are not needed.
 
I forgot to lock up one of my 20+ coops last night, it happens. I didn't have a predator issue last night though. this is why I trap when I find signs of Raccoons. Sometimes things get forgotten and it's nice to have a redundant game plan.
 
I've circled the two pics where the puncture wounds are.
 

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I tried uploading a short clip of her drinking water from syringe, but it's saying the file is too big. Just wanted to make sure I was doing it right. I just barely put the bulb in the side of her open mouth and drip a little in at a time and she tilts her head back and swallows each time. Her poor belly growls each time she drinks.
 
I forgot to lock up one of my 20+ coops last night, it happens. I didn't have a predator issue last night though. this is why I trap when I find signs of Raccoons. Sometimes things get forgotten and it's nice to have a redundant game plan.
My initial thought was to set a trap out too, but then read the laws for California, and they state it's not allowed. Grrrrr....
 
I only worry about laws that juries would actually convict on. No one here is going to convict someone for protecting a flock of chickens provided you aren't doing something that threatens the safety of the public. I will worry about laws that make sense regardless of what a jury will do. I won't relocate a Raccoon (even if it was legal) because they are highly likely to spread rabies. Do what you feel is best, if you feel going by the law is best then do it. We all have our own lives and values to live by.
Sometimes I think these laws were set up so you are forced to hire a professional who paid a huge fee to get a license and that money goes towards either a lobbyist or state entity who pushed for such laws. I don't know how true that is because I haven't researched the laws where you live and how the came to be. It's just my cynical side coming through.
 
I am so sorry for your incident, you are getting great advice as I have not dealt with an actual attack on my babies. I have had signs of one trying to get into my coop, but it was unsuccessful. Hoping for a fast recovery for your baby!
 

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