Severe Injury after Falcon Attack

[Lrobertson88]

One of my pullets, about 11 weeks old was severely attacked by a hawk. I really can’t believe she’s alive. I was able to wash her wound with vetrycin and applied medi honey then wrapped in gauze. I’ve been redressing the wound every day since it’s happened. I’ve also given her daily antibiotics, diluted in water via syringe. She seems a little bit better but hasn’t been eating or drinking on her own. I’ve been hand feeding her water through a syringe mixed with some chicken probiotics. As of this mornings it’s been 3 days since she’s eaten. I should also mention I have her inside my house in a crate.

My question is when I feed her water it looks like her tongue is off to one side. I’m wondering if her head injury dislocated her tongue. Anything I can do or should I be concerned?

I’m so worried she is suffering and going to have lasting problems from having half her head ripped apart. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[alinas2010]

Welcome to the site. I’m so sorry about your chicken. As gruesome as her injuries may be, there also may be hope. They often won’t come around to eating on their own for quite a while after an attack - they’re in pain, scared, possibly in shock, and in a strange new place. If her injuries are recoverable, but she won’t eat at the moment on her own, you may be able to get her interested in some wetted down chicken feed made into a mash or scrambled egg. Some go for things like plain Greek yogurt, too. If she can’t (or takes too long to come around to wanting to) eat on her own, at some point you may have to make the choice to tube feed her. Have you looked into that? We can get you some instructions and some experts over to help guide you if you need.

Can you post some pictures of her and her injuries in detail? That can help others help you.

 

[alinas2010]

This post is very graphic, don’t look at it if you have a weak heart/stomach, but it truly shows a chicken with an injury that rendered her unable use her tongue according to her owner. She did recover and regained the ability to use her tongue and eat/drink on her own once her owner began to tube feed her they said.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...pper-maran-was-attached-by-squirrels.1635652/

 

[Lrobertson88]

Welcome to the site. I’m so sorry about your chicken. As gruesome as her injuries may be, there also may be hope. They often won’t come around to eating on their own for quite a while after an attack - they’re in pain, scared, possibly in shock, and in a strange new place. If her injuries are recoverable, but she won’t eat at the moment on her own, you may be able to get her interested in some wetted down chicken feed made into a mash or scrambled egg. Some go for things like plain Greek yogurt, too. If she can’t (or takes too long to come around to wanting to) eat on her own, at some point you may have to make the choice to tube feed her. Have you looked into that? We can get you some instructions and some experts over to help guide you if you need.

Can you post some pictures of her and her injuries in detail? That can help others help you.

Welcome to the site. I’m so sorry about your chicken. As gruesome as her injuries may be, there also may be hope. They often won’t come around to eating on their own for quite a while after an attack - they’re in pain, scared, possibly in shock, and in a strange new place. If her injuries are recoverable, but she won’t eat at the moment on her own, you may be able to get her interested in some wetted down chicken feed made into a mash or scrambled egg. Some go for things like plain Greek yogurt, too. If she can’t (or takes too long to come around to wanting to) eat on her own, at some point you may have to make the choice to tube feed her. Have you looked into that? We can get you some instructions and some experts over to help guide you if you need.

Can you post some pictures of her and her injuries in detail? That can help others help you.

The first picture is her the day it happened. The last picture is her wound covered in medi honey.

I’m really great news, this afternoon she made an attempt to eat some dry food on her own. I don’t think she got very much more than a spec but she did try. And I was able to feed her some watery yogurt. Again probably only a teaspoon worth.

Do you think I should give her aspirin for the pain? I should have mentioned this happened on Thursday. So she’s made it 3 days.

 

[alinas2010]

The first picture is her the day it happened. The last picture is her wound covered in medi honey.

I’m really great news, this afternoon she made an attempt to eat some dry food on her own. I don’t think she got very much more than a spec but she did try. And I was able to feed her some watery yogurt. Again probably only a teaspoon worth.

Do you think I should give her aspirin for the pain? I should have mentioned this happened on Thursday. So she’s made it 3 days.

Poor darling, I’m sorry this happened, but you’re doing great. Be sure to keep the wound very moist at all times. You may not need to keep the gauze, but if it seems to be causing no issues, it’s your call.

I would imagine she is in quite a bit of pain. Personally I’m not sure I would use baby aspirin unless you can guarantee she has no internal injuries otherwise you risk a chance of internal bleeding. Birds of prey can pack a huge punch when they attack and there is always the chance that something bruised or was hurt internally. If she were mine I would baby and nurse her the best I could without a pain reliever, unfortunately. I might be able to help find you a reference on aspirin use if you want to try, though.

How wonderful that she tried to eat. Yogurt in her diet is probably a great idea since she is getting the antibiotic. I do think it’ll take time for her appetite to come around fully. I’ve seen where some don’t do better with their appetites until they can see their flock mates again even. Try to make a wet mash with her feed using warm water and it may be easier for her to eat with her facial injuries. My chickens think it’s a treat when I wet their feed down into a mash.

 

[Lrobertson88]

Poor darling, I’m sorry this happened, but you’re doing great. Be sure to keep the wound very moist at all times. You may not need to keep the gauze, but if it seems to be causing no issues, it’s your call.

I would imagine she is in quite a bit of pain. Personally I’m not sure I would use baby aspirin unless you can guarantee she has no internal injuries otherwise you risk a chance of internal bleeding. Birds of prey can pack a huge punch when they attack and there is always the chance that something bruised or was hurt internally. If she were mine I would baby and nurse her the best I could without a pain reliever, unfortunately. I might be able to help find you a reference on aspirin use if you want to try, though.

How wonderful that she tried to eat. Yogurt in her diet is probably a great idea since she is getting the antibiotic. I do think it’ll take time for her appetite to come around fully. I’ve seen where some don’t do better with their appetites until they can see their flock mates again even. Try to make a wet mash with her feed using warm water and it may be easier for her to eat with her facial injuries. My chickens think it’s a treat when I wet their feed down into a mash.

Thank You so much for your advice and encouragement! I would love some explanation of tube feeding. While I was able to get a tiny amount more of yogurt on her this morning, I worry it’s not enough.

Again I really appreciate the support. I really hope this girl can make a miraculous recovery!

 

[alinas2010]

Thank You so much for your advice and encouragement! I would love some explanation of tube feeding. While I was able to get a tiny amount more of yogurt on her this morning, I worry it’s not enough.

Again I really appreciate the support. I really hope this girl can make a miraculous recovery!

You’re certainly welcome I hope she does come around. It’s good she tried to eat on her own, hopefully day by day she tries a bit more. They really can recover from some terrible injuries given time and care. How is she doing on taking in fluids?

Post number 4 on this thread has a great picture and instructions for tube feeding from azygous, I beleive. The formula would be different than what is listed in the article, though. You’d more be giving her feed into her crop, not so much what is listed in the article. There are some good YouTube videos on it, also. I would give her a bit more time to eat try herself since she shows some interest in food, but you are the best judge of how she is doing.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ried-almost-everything.1635739/#post-27928755

Post #16 here for more tube feeding advice and recipe that you’d be using:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-gleet-naturally.1609569/page-2#post-28004168

Perhaps in a few days if she’s doing better but doesn’t seem interested in food still, bringing a friend in for a short supervised visit might perk her up if she is feeling up to it at some point. Just be sure to watch for pecking to the injury.

 

[Lrobertson88]

Oh my goodness. Such good advice you gave about letting her see a flock mate.

This evening I came home and was trying to get some fluids in her with little success. I was able to get maybe a half an ounce.

I was starting to get worried and frustrated so decided I’d try your trick to let her see a friend. And oh my did it work! She instantly perked up, walked out of the cage on her own and started pecking at food with her friend. I only let them be together for about 15 minutes but I really do think it made a big difference. Even after her flock mate left she continued to eat the mash I made her and drink a lot of water on her own! I’m so happy!

I also removed her bandages tonight as the gauze around her neck seemed to really be bothering her. She seemed like she was trying to remove it.

Question about her wound. Do you think it’s okay to stop wrapping it? I sprayed the vetrycin on it again and applied some antibiotic ointment but didn’t cover it in anything. Wondering if this is okay. The wound seems to have scabbed over and is no longer raw. Although it’s still gory looking.

Thoughts?

 

[alinas2010]

How wonderful!! They really are such social creatures. I’m so happy to hear this helped her perk up.

So sorry, I never did ask or offer much wound advice. Yes absolutely okay to stop the gauze. A lot of times gauze can cause more issues than not using any. It can strip moisture from wounds and become a choking hazard. Some overly curious chickens have been known to eat it even! But I never blame anyone for wanting to use it. The best protection is just plain antibiotic ointment without pain relief in it. It’ll serve as a protective barrier against dirt and bacteria and also keep the wound moist. Twice a day rinse with something such as Vetericyn as you have and then slather with the ointment. If at anytime throughout the day the wound dries out, don’t hesitate to apply more. Just be sure it’s the kind without pain relief as that is poison to chickens. I know it seems odd but it really does work out well for them.

She’s a living testament to the wonderful care you’re providing thank you for sharing the update! And thank you for giving this baby a chance.

 

[alinas2010]

How is she doing?