- Jun 9, 2014
- 11
- 0
- 22
Hello everyone, I'm emotionally drained, tired, and hoping that somebody out there thinks that there is hope for my 3-4 month old Speckled Sussex hen.
I'll start from the beginning: Last night, I was sitting at my computer and my sister came out and told me that she heard squawking. We rushed outside to find that 3 of the 5, 3-4 month old pullets in their make shift coop were missing. As I had come up to the gate, a raccoon was skurrying away as I had yelled at it to leave. I searched around and found two of them hiding in a black berry bush, not a scratch to their body. I went back over to the coop and further down from it, found an abundance of feathers... ripped from my speckled sussex! I had thought the raccoon finished her, but deeper down the run I found her, scalped with a gash in her lower chest area. I'm not sure exactly what creature was responsible, my sister saw it as I started freaking out and yelling at her to get mom, and she says it looked like a raccoon. We first put neosporin on her head, as well as the gash area... there was NO skin left to connect the head back together and protect the exposed skull. We put her in a large plastic box with towels, included food and water, covered her, and hoped for the best.
Up to speed to today, she has been eating bit by bit, drinking, and of course, pooping. We tried reapplying neosporin on her head, but even the lightest touch made her go woozy and droop, probably due to exposed nerves. So instead we sprayed saline on the wounds and sterilized them with a betadine and water solution that the veterinarian recommended. We also put an antibiotic powder in her water, and made a special food that is supposed to tempt her to eat (both are also veterinarian recommended).
We had our neighbor come over the look at her, hoping that she could do something as she is a nurse, but she thinks there really isn't anything more we can do and have to take it day by day. We're calling the vet again tomorrow.
I can probably post some pictures once my brave little hen wakes up tomorrow morning, right now I feel that rest and cleanliness is key!
Do any members have any input or suggestions about what we're doing/about what you think we should do? Thank you very much!
I'll start from the beginning: Last night, I was sitting at my computer and my sister came out and told me that she heard squawking. We rushed outside to find that 3 of the 5, 3-4 month old pullets in their make shift coop were missing. As I had come up to the gate, a raccoon was skurrying away as I had yelled at it to leave. I searched around and found two of them hiding in a black berry bush, not a scratch to their body. I went back over to the coop and further down from it, found an abundance of feathers... ripped from my speckled sussex! I had thought the raccoon finished her, but deeper down the run I found her, scalped with a gash in her lower chest area. I'm not sure exactly what creature was responsible, my sister saw it as I started freaking out and yelling at her to get mom, and she says it looked like a raccoon. We first put neosporin on her head, as well as the gash area... there was NO skin left to connect the head back together and protect the exposed skull. We put her in a large plastic box with towels, included food and water, covered her, and hoped for the best.
Up to speed to today, she has been eating bit by bit, drinking, and of course, pooping. We tried reapplying neosporin on her head, but even the lightest touch made her go woozy and droop, probably due to exposed nerves. So instead we sprayed saline on the wounds and sterilized them with a betadine and water solution that the veterinarian recommended. We also put an antibiotic powder in her water, and made a special food that is supposed to tempt her to eat (both are also veterinarian recommended).
We had our neighbor come over the look at her, hoping that she could do something as she is a nurse, but she thinks there really isn't anything more we can do and have to take it day by day. We're calling the vet again tomorrow.
I can probably post some pictures once my brave little hen wakes up tomorrow morning, right now I feel that rest and cleanliness is key!
Do any members have any input or suggestions about what we're doing/about what you think we should do? Thank you very much!
