Saved from the mouth of a Hawk! Help!

[Raissikitten]

Hey, I need some advice..

I HAD 10 Americana Chicks a while back.. a couple weeks ago they started disappearing without a trace, middle of the day.. One by one, every few days.. Today, I am sitting in my living room, and here a loud bang, just to see a huge shadow slam into the side of my 126sq ft. Parrot Aviary.. My chickens are scattered, freaking out.. I ran outside just to see two huge hawks, and in one's grip, my baby. I screamed, and apparently he dropped her.. I searched the woods and found nothing, and I went to my dads to figure out what to do, when My husband calls, that he went out and noticed the hawk back in the same spot.. He chased her off, and found my baby laying there..

Now, my baby is alive.. She has only the skin torn from under her wing, and, her right eye is covered in dried blood.. its swollen pretty good.. no other injuries that I can tell of...

She drinks, if I dip her beak in it.. She wont open her eyes without me doing it.. the bad eye apparently was injured above it, cause I can pull the eye lid down, and see her eye itself.. it seems lower than it should be (Swelling?) BOTH eyes contract to light.. She still keeps them closed.. I have been giving her Raw egg beaten and through a syringe (We have brought chickens back from horrible health with this) Until in the morning, when I can go get my Powdered "Exact Kaytee" Parrot handfeeding formula, which is also brought miracles.. I have flushed her eye with terracyline (sp) for their eyes, and put antibiotic ointment on the wounds.. I've washed her up a bunch but some is dried in her feathers pretty good and I dont want to hurt her)

She stands, and she makes noises.. (She made one of those "what the ...?" Noises when My Parrot, Diesel decided to help out and clean her feathers for me.. Odd one, she is.. ) My BIGGEST concern, is her head is now constantly ticking back and forth.. You know when you pick them up and turn, how their head turns and stops, and turns again, and stops? Thats what she does, constantly, and you can see under her eye lids, her eyes moving back and forth.. I figure nerve Damage, Im hoping this will leave when the swelling does.. Any other advice here, or does everything look like its a wait and see game?

Been a bad day here! Had another hen hatch a baby this morning and the roosters got in to her and were fighting eachother, and tore the skin off the babies face.. I found him ice cold and stuffed under hay, but, after some meds and heat, he is back under momma running with his new hatched siblings.. Will have a bald spot, but looks ok.. Ive owned chickens all my life.. Today just was a nightmare!!

 

[Wisher1000]

Sorry about your day, it was a rough one. I think the wait and see approach may be best. Keep her quiet (dark if possible) and hydrated. Make sure she eats enough but don't force too much on her. Rest and support can work wonders. Good Luck!

 

[Raissikitten]

Thanks a bunch.. She is in a dark quiet room, cuddled in a blanket.. I take her out every couple hours to get her to drink.. I only give her enough feeding through the syringe so that I can feel her crop is not empty, probably about 8-10 cc? And im putting it in the beak slowly so that she herself will drink it, and not breathe it.. I feel so miserable for her.. but It could have been MUCH worse I suppose.. =\

 

[sumi]

Oh my, you're having a hard time!

But it sounds like you know what to do in an emergency! Hope your chick recovers completely

 

[Raissikitten]

Well, as of this morning, she is peeping again, and 'trying' to move around.. Her good eye opens, im not sure what she see's out of it, but its still contracting to light. her head is still moving back and forth, but she 'seems' to have a 'little' improvement.. Im not going to say one way or the other, because my little baby that was running around with the others passed away this morning..

 

[sumi]

I'm sorry about your baby. It sucks when you try you rest and lose them

Hope the other one's going to be O.K.

 

[Raissikitten]

I think she might be! She's eating, (Still assisted) More and more, and trying to get up and move around.. the turning of her head seems to be slowing down, and she is keeping her eye open more.. In fact, she IS seeing some! I passed my baby Starlings (We have an odd variety here!) And she seen one, and tried to back away.. We will see soon!

 

[Raissikitten]

Another Update.. this morning I found her walking around my laundry room.. So she is standing up completely on her own.. She still wont eat on her own though!

 

[centrarchid]

Bird attacked by hawk likely has some nerve damage caused by hawks talons. I think damage to nervous system is how prey typically subdued. It may take a couple more days for such damage to be repaired. To promote appettite try live mealworms.

 

[Raissikitten]

She is still hanging in there, and still improving.. Both eyes are now open, and I believe she can see better out of the bad one..? Anyway, her vision does seem to be improving slowly.. One day she cant see me at all, the next, only if I wave my hands in her face.. Today she seen me coming to get her, but still isnt eating on her own.. I have been feeding 10ml of Exact Parrot formula, and one half hard boiled egg mixed with crumbles (Talk about a mess to get in her mouth) about 5-6 times a day.. sometimes more or less food, depending on her.. We dont have anywhere that sells mealworms in the area.. I have to drive out of town wednesday and will look into someone that supplies them then. Thank you for the tip. I took her outside, and fed the others, hoping it would get her going.. She went in the middle of them, pecked a couple times and stopped, even though this was first thing in the AM and she had not yet been fed since 1am.. I am worried maybe she had forgotten how, due to the damage..