urgent!! hawk got baby chicken but she's alive

[Annashields]

Can she move at all, or does she appear paralyzed? Keep her warm for now. If she's not injured internally, she's probably in shock. If you have a heat lamp, you can set her up under that.

Hi! This post was about my little Easter-egged. She is moving & seems in much better spirits today but completely immobile. Vet said nothing is broken but she could have muscle damage and only time will tell. Open to any suggestions for caring for her & keeping her comfortable in the meantime. She’s being syringe fed water & hand fed food.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Is she able to sit upright? A chicken sling chair might be something that you would want to make for her, to get her upright and in front of a little cup of food and water. This link has examples of sling chairs, and I especially like post 12 and 31:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/page-2

 

[Annashields]

Welcome to BYC. Is she able to sit upright? A chicken sling chair might be something that you would want to make for her, to get her upright and in front of a little cup of food and water. This link has examples of sling chairs, and I especially like post 12 and 31:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/page-2

Thank you so much! She cannot support herself right now. She is laying in this position & I regularly change her towel as it gets dirty with food & waste. She stretches every now and again and picks up her head when it's time to eat. Do you think she is too little for a sling? I'm assuming the fact that she's eating and drinking is a good sign.

 

[Ryguy3684]

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@Eggcessive always has helpful advice.
If she's able to move her head enough to eat & drink, that would be the best option.

You might try a warm Epson salt bath, you'd just have to hold her head up. They seem to work well for a variety of muscle aches/strains. If nothing else, it's supposed to be calming/relaxing.

 

[Annashields]

Thank you! I appreciate all of the advice!

 

[Ryguy3684]

And yes, it's definitely a good sign that she's eating & drinking. Hopefully it's from swelling, or something else that'll resolve itself in time. Keep us posted.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Chicken slings can be made to fit most any size bird.

In the mean time roll up a few towels and try to prop her more upright by placing a rolled towel on each side of her. Position her with her feet tucked under her in a normal position like she was sitting naturally. It should help some.

 

[Annashields]

She's in her sling now! Seems to be doing so much better upright. But of course now I have sling questions.. how many hours/day does she stay in the sling? Do her feet need to touch the ground?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Be careful with the bath...this is just anecdotal but I gave an injured chicken a bath once and she was dead in less than 24 hours. I think in some cases it's a good idea but it depends on the injuries. I have read on here somewhere it can be bad but I don't know under what circumstances and I certainly don't know if that helped my pullet along. She had a pretty bad gash from a raccoon attack and she was doing fine until I bathed her to try to clean it up. Anyway, hopefully someone else knows more. I am just wary since then.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, I would not give a bath or soak. Chicken slings can be good for hours throughout the day, but she should have breaks to rest stretch and to sleep at night. The feet can touch the ground, but if she tries to get out, she can get out much easier with her feet touching the ground. Just use your judgement.