Chicken attacked!!

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone, can anyone help?? A fox has come into our garden this afternoon and killed our beloved Ko-shamo and attacked our Araucana. I wondered if anyone could advise if there is anything else I can do to make her comfortable. She has lost the feathers on her rear end and has some pretty bad bruising there. There is a little bit of blood but no major blood loss or wound that I can see. She is holding one wing quite low compared to the other one. I haven't messed with her too much at this point. I have put her into a box bedded with sawdust, placed a heat pad above her, covered the box to make it a little dark, given her "critical care" in her water and given her some oats to eat. She is very, very quiet (not like her at all) and is panting quite heavily but she has had a few oats to eat. Any more ideas anyone?

 

[Tim]

Oh Gosh, sorry to hear about your fox attack.

The bad news is the fox is highly likely to come back and keep on coming back until he has got all of your birds so you will need to ensure they are in a fox proof run or behind electrified poultry netting. Some info on foxes and chickens on the main site.

As for the hen, I would inspect her carefully to check for injuries, she could have puncture wounds from teeth. Any open wounds need to be cleaned and sterilised (veterinary wound powder is good for this and very cheap).

She will be incredibly shocked but if she is eating and drinking, that is a good sign. ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) is good for stress in Chickens - it must be unrefined though - usually available from tackle shops as horses are given ACV too. More info on ACV on the main site.

I would try to keep her isolated from the others but give her the chance to do normal things - it's stressful for a chicken to move house so I would try and allow her to come out near the others where she feels more normal if possible.

Mashed hard boiled egg is a good boost for her - she will probably love this and will give her a bit of a boost.

Let us know how she gets on... Good Luck.

Tim