Raccoon visit! Hen in shock? Eye swollen. PLEASE HELP.

[ChickMama64]

Thanks for the advice on the crop. I thought I was doing the right thing based on the way it felt and the reading I did. I am glad to hear it is normal that it is not emptying. I will let natures take it's course now and stop worrying about that. I will give her egg tonight and keep up with the electrolyte water and Neosporin. I am so grateful for your time and help!

 

[ChickMama64]

Hi again - I wanted to give you an update and see what you think. I have been using neosporin on her eyes until today and just got Vetericyn ophthalmic gel to start using. She is opening both eyes now, but doesn't seem to see anything. She also doesn't respond to noises. Even familiar ones like "tongue clucking" and clapping that are our usual ways of calling the hens for treat time. She will not eat or drink anything at all unless I use a dropper. Even if I put her beak in water, yogurt or egg, she won't do anything. We have to open her beak and use an eye dropper to feed and water her. I am going to get a tube tomorrow...but I have to admit, I am scared to try and put it down her throat.

She doesn't respond at all if the other hen, or our dogs, go right up to her face. She has her eyes open, but doesn't respond. While outside, she will sit in the grass and will stand and even take a step or two. Then she sits back down, tucks her head and goes to sleep. She hasn't lost any weight. And, except for a little swelling around her right eye, she looks like a perfectly healthy chicken.

She has no visible wounds so I don't understand what is causing the blindness. Have you ever heard of anything like this?

 

[Eggcessive]

She could have some brain damage, but I hope not. That might account for her not being able to see or hear, or she is just to exhausted to react. I wouldn't be too scared to try crop feeding her--many people do it routinely to give medicines. If you have a vet that sees chickens, maybe they could demonstrate it do you. Here is a good link that shows the inside of the throat and how to pass a tube or syringe for giving medicine, and you might want to practice looking in there today: http://www.hopkinslivestock.com/oral_dosing_article.htm

 

[Eggcessive]

How is your hen getting along?

 

[MrsBachbach]

I had a rooster with a bad head injury. It took supportive therapy like crop tube feeding and watering to see him through the weeks of recovery. I think it was just too painful for him to want to eat. Baby food, oatmeal or rice baby cereal and egg yolk make good crop tube diets. A piece of baby asprin dissolved in water for a few days help with the pain IF there is no internal or obvious bleeding. He made a full recovery and was back to chasing down hens after a few weeks.

 

[ChickMama64]

Well she is improving everyday. It's been so wonderful and rewarding to see her through this. It's still sloowww going, but there is progress everyday. She still doesn't have her complete vision but can make her way around the yard ( with supervision). She did drink from the waterer on her own but still hasn't eaten without being fed. It's VERY tiring. However, I've had several people tell me to put her down. Boy am I glad I didn't.

 

[Eggcessive]

Oh very good to hear that she is improving. Thank you for hanging in there.

 

[ChickMama64]

She followed her buddy Queenie, our Australorp, around the yard today. Spent the night in the coop last night for the first time since the incident. She has recovered some of her vision. Made her way into the coop and onto the perch on her own tonight. Still won't eat on her own so we are crop feeding. Hopefully that won't last forever.

 

[MrsBachbach]

She followed her buddy Queenie, our Australorp, around the yard today. Spent the night in the coop last night for the first time since the incident. She has recovered some of her vision. Made her way into the coop and onto the perch on her own tonight. Still won't eat on her own so we are crop feeding. Hopefully that won't last forever.

It could take a few weeks especially if the coon chomped down on her head. It's a good sign that she is at least drinking on her own. On my rooster the swelling from the injury caused his beak to cross and he had trouble just moving his beak. Over the days, I would try to tempt him to pick up some treats like cut up grape, tomato, chopped egg. Soft, chunky food that he could easily grab. I even had to switch him to pellets after he healed so he could pick up something. For some reason, larger food was easier for him to grab and swallow. I almost gave up on him and was ready to put him down after two weeks but decided to give him one more week and that was what he needed. His beak eventually went back to normal and he was eating on his own after three weeks. Still wanted chunky food, but he was eating.
Your hen likely needs more time to heal.

 

[ChickMama64]

It could take a few weeks especially if the coon chomped down on her head. It's a good sign that she is at least drinking on her own. On my rooster the swelling from the injury caused his beak to cross and he had trouble just moving his beak. Over the days, I would try to tempt him to pick up some treats like cut up grape, tomato, chopped egg. Soft, chunky food that he could easily grab. I even had to switch him to pellets after he healed so he could pick up something. For some reason, larger food was easier for him to grab and swallow. I almost gave up on him and was ready to put him down after two weeks but decided to give him one more week and that was what he needed. His beak eventually went back to normal and he was eating on his own after three weeks. Still wanted chunky food, but he was eating.
Your hen likely needs more time to heal.

Quote: Thank you both so much for the help! My americauna "Hawk" is doing great. I had been crop feeding her thanks to both of you and your encouragement and advice. She started eating on her own yesterday, FINALLY. I took your advice MrsBachBach and kept offering chopped up grapes and watermelon. She finally managed to eat on her own. I felt like crying! When I got home today it was obvious she had been eating from the feeder all day because her crop was full and I could feel the feed. What a journey this has been. I hope this thread helps someone else one day!