Sole Survivor of Coop Raid, Possibly Dehydrated, Coma

[emosapien]

I am(was) watching my buddy's chickens here in Reno, NV. He had three adult ladies in an enclosure with a coop in his backyard. He asked me to check in every few days to make sure they still had water. He has a 5gal waterer, appropriate to the 90-100F temperature of the area. I last checked on the girls on wednesday evening, around 5 or 6pm. When I went back to check around 1pm today (Friday,) I found the enclosure covered in feathers, and all three chickens appeared dead. The waterer was upturned on it's side. After gaining access to the enclosure i ascertained that one had been eviscerated, the other was dead (unable to figure out why) and the third, a banty silkie, was still alive, but not by much. She had some blood around her crest, and her eyes were shut and covered in shmutz. I pulled her out, and cleaned up her head. No significant injuries that I could see. She is unresponsive to sound, but reacts weakly to being handled. I tried squeezing some water into her mouth using a paper towel, and I did see some tongue action.


I've since brought her back to my place, and have her laid on her side. I have made up an electrolyte liquid using a 1/4 of the chick electrolyte package in two cups of water, I have been using a syringe to administer in 5cc increments. Her breathing seems more regular, but she is still comatose, her eyes won't open, she cannot support herself.

I'm hoping she is only massively dehydrated. But I am no expert, and have not had any experience with chicken emergency medicine. Any tips?

(To those that are wondering, the friend is in Alaska, and I have been unable to reach him yet.)


Thanks in advance for any help!

-n

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

Sorry, I can't help, just bump you to the top. Hope she is able to recover!

 

[leadwolf1]

You are doing a great job. Silkies can suffer from head trauma much easier than other chickens.

Continue to give her some electrolytes every couple hours..but, between times, find a quiet, darkened place for her to recover. If she is in shock, the quiet and dark will help. Chickens have amazing healthy abilities. Keep an eye on her and continue what you are doing...she just may recover!

 

[This_chicks_place]

Keep doing what you are doing. Maybe try alittle sugar water in the same manner you are giving her the water. I hope she gets better.

 

[emosapien]

Thanks for your help and support. I went to check on her after reading your replies, and she managed to peek open an eye! Progress!

I have continued with the twice hourly 5cc of electrolytic fluids. She flapped her wings for a second, I don't know if she is overly uncomfortable. She is on her side on a towel, in a box with her head supported slightly higher and beak down to prevent choking when i water her. Is there a preferred way to lay a recovering chicken when knocked out like this? She can't support herself (no roosting, standing response) and her neck is completely limp.

I also want to check for broken bones, but don't really want to move her more than i have to. Thoughts?

My friend gets back in town on sunday midday, and I'm really hoping I can temper his loss with the knowledge that i did everything I can for his little one, and that it payed off. A vet I contacted recommended euthanizing the bird, I hope I'm not just prolonging her suffering.

Again, kind people of the internet, thank you for taking a minute to share your knowledge and support. This forum has been a wealth of information for me in the past year of having chickens, and it saddens me that my first post came from such unfortunate circumstances.


-N

 

[leadwolf1]

I would wait until tomorrow to check for broken bones. If she seems content, you can leave her on her side. Chickens normally like to sleep on their chests with their legs tucked under...but, since she is hurt, I would say leave her alone for now.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

Don't listen to vets unless they know something about chickens. Most of them are too lazy to even know the simplest things, and would euthanize a bird first chance they got. An avian vet would be your best bet, but I do live close to K-State University, so I can always take them to the hospital there if I need to.

 

[emosapien]

So, unfortunately, the chicken passed away this morning at 4am. After making sure she had passed, I carefully checked her bone structure and found that her neck had been broken. Her owner got back at 10am. Bad timing. I just wanted to thank everyone who gave support and advice, it certainly made a difficult situation a bit more bearable.

-n

 

[leadwolf1]

It was bad timing but, you did your best

 

[chkn]

Oh, such a sad story. Not a happy news for your friend. Chances are, because your friend was away, the predators lurking became more emboldened. I know stuff is always more prone to happen when I'm out of town because my human scent is just not as prevalent. I'm guessing it must have been a raccoon. This sort of thing can also happen right under people's noses because they may sleep right through the sqwuaking or the coop may be too far away from the house to hear. Raccoons are about a chicken owner's worst nightmare.