Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Urgent advice please  (Read 5574 times)

caz

  • Joined Jun 2010
Urgent advice please
« on: January 17, 2016, 01:36:24 pm »
One of my hens was attacked yesterday by a dog or fox but I couldn't find her only lots of feathers . I assumed the worst. Today my parents found her alive! She has lost all the feathers on her back and has been bitten but is gingerly eating and drinking. I cleaned her with salty water and dried her. We have put her in a biggish rabbit hutch away from the others inside a field shelter but not sure weather I should bring her in the house or if that will stress her more?
We have no electricity there for a heat lamp. I've looked online and pets at home sell gel pars for the microwave but not sure whether we should just move her indoors.


Buffy the eggs layer

  • Joined Jun 2010
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2016, 02:23:45 pm »
Oh dear,


   poor girl. You are right about balancing the negative effects of stress with the advantages of bringing her in.


  Apart from the stress of the dog / fox attack is the possibility of infection from the bite so an antibiotic would be advisable. Have a word with your vet to prescribe something.


 I personally would bring her in to the rabbit cage and make sure that she eats by tempting her with tasty treats. Feeding corn generated heat too. Make sure that she keeps hydrated and try a little poultry tonic or critical care formula to give her immune system a boost.


Bringing a friend in with her might help too as it may settle her and encourage her to eat. As long as her "friend" doesn't eat all her goodies and bully her.


caz

  • Joined Jun 2010
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2016, 02:51:57 pm »
Hi thanks for the reply. She will have to make it through the night to see the vet as it's just far too expensive on a Sunday to go to them. She's an Orpington so I put her friend in earlier with her but she just wanted to peck her wound so they were promptly separated

Buffy the eggs layer

  • Joined Jun 2010
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2016, 02:57:57 pm »
Depending on your relationship with your vet you can always phone the on call vet for advice which is free. If your vet has seen your birds they can leave an antibiotic at reception for you to collect on mon and administer as drops. That means that you wouldn't pay a consultation fee.




farmers wife

  • Joined Jul 2009
  • SE Wales
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2016, 04:03:02 pm »
One of mine was attacked and had big flesh wounds but seemed ok.  I put it in a warm shed with food etc and it recovered well.  You could give it some ABs if you have some.

caz

  • Joined Jun 2010
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2016, 04:10:35 pm »
Do you think it would be ok on these minus 0 temperatures ?

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2016, 05:09:47 pm »
Depends on your housing.  If you've something like a broody coop with a ventialtion grid at the top, so the atmosphere inside doesn't get too damp, you could insulate the outside with old carpet, straw, potato sacks or similar.  Depressed immune system due to the attack makes her vulnerable to things like pneumonia.   

caz

  • Joined Jun 2010
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2016, 06:42:49 pm »
Thanks for replies. I've moved her into my parents house as my house is no good. So hopefully she will make it. She's managed a night out by herself in sub zero temp when I didn't know where she was bless her. I'll call vet tomorrow n see if they will give antibiotics without needing to go there

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2016, 10:17:16 pm »
 :fc: for her.  She's a trooper.  :love: :chook:
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

gerpsych

  • Joined May 2012
  • Gwynedd
  • The beatings will continue until morale improves
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2016, 02:01:30 pm »
When we had a similar attack, again a dog which took many feathers from the chickens back, with similar wounds we used a  broody box. After thorough cleaning we kept her alone and gave free food and water access.It took a good week or so but she responded fully and is still with us.

caz

  • Joined Jun 2010
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2016, 03:29:20 pm »
Bless her we took her to the vets today and was told pts or hospitalise  her which was estimated to cost upwards of £200  :tired: I persuaded the vet to meet in the middle and she has been injected with antibiotics and pain relief and also some fluids to help hydrate her and she has come home. She has to go back tomorrow.

She is a lovely hen, very tame and my daughters favourite so I really hope she pulls through

caz

  • Joined Jun 2010
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2016, 04:10:40 pm »
2nd vets visit done and £120 down now but at least she us still with us and appears to be picking up. She's not eating and drinking as heartily as I would like her. She's only really eating tinned sweet corn and also some mixed corn out of a sack.  I hope her appetite is back soon

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2016, 05:42:46 pm »
Don't over fuss, just check her drinking water and grain haven't been upset and leave her alone, she's had a dreadful shock and needs to settle, if you keep changing here whereabouts she'll continue to be stressed and never settle and so will not eat properly etc.  I'd give her minimal contact and perhaps a radio on very quietly though perhaps in an adjoining room so she knows there is someone about.  She'll probably not want to move around much.  Wait until she is completely healed and feathered up before you put her near the others - if they see a strange looking specimen they will attack and if there is bare skin they will go in for blood.
I've always been rubbish at letting things go and cost myself a fortune in the process.  I'm a bit more hardened now but it is a life and you do get fond of livestock especially if you don't keep high numbers.
Good luck. x
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

clydesdaleclopper

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2016, 06:06:20 pm »
Try sprouting some of the mixed corn for a few days as that might tempt her to eat
Our holding has Anglo Nubian and British Toggenburg goats, Gotland sheep, Franconian Geese, Blue Swedish ducks, a whole load of mongrel hens and two semi-feral children.

Eve

  • Joined Jul 2010
Re: Urgent advice please
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2016, 06:09:11 pm »
Oh dear, what a horrible time your chicken has had, and now that veterinarian is taking the mickey with a choice of either pts or a £200+ bill. I'm glad you didn't simply accept it! :thumbsup: 


You're right in getting her the antibiotics, and indeed she needs to be kept warm (a cool room indoors will do) and preferably have a friend. Scrambled eggs, corn, maggots etc will all do her some good. Medicinal grade manuka honey is inexpensive and very good on wounds - about £4 per small tube online.


I just can't help being annoyed by that vet. Antibiotics and pain relief / anti-inflammatory plus the consultation itself would have cost under £40 at our vet's and that means being cared for by an excellent chicken vet.

A large wound on a hen here was operated on last month and she had to stay in for a night and it was still only £100 including general anaesthetic and aftercare (wound checks) etc. Though another vet in our area would happily charge twice as much as everyone else here.

There are chicken saddles available - if you're good with a sewing machine you could perhaps make her a little downy one...?
:)

 

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