Care after a weasel attack

[wits end gardens]

(Also on the duck forum)

I need some help & advice on caring for my wounded girls after a weasel attack.

Yesterday early morning sometime, a weasel got into the run. I lost two of my beauties. :-( I have three wounded, one OK. I have brought them in to a warm, safe location. I have cleaned the wounds (bites on their necks) and applied Blue Kote. They have been drinking, not eating, and are generally resting a lot. I figure after the trauma lots of rest is a good thing.

The fluffed feathers that signaled extra stress are down, but a few new things are worrying me.

Eira, one of the Welsh Harlequins, doesn't want to stand. She's moving around using her wings mostly, as though she has gone lame. I checked for injuries on her feet and tummy and found none. Yesterday afternoon she was standing and moving just fine. She is drinking quite a bit, preening some and other than not standing looks to be in reasonable shape (considering). Do I need to work with her to stand more? Check for something else I might have missed?

Derryn, another Welsh Harlequin, had the scariest wound and is moving around better today. Drinking a little, resting a lot. Her eyes look a little dull and more closed compared to her usual. I didn't see any wounds near her eyes and was careful not to get any Blue Kote in them. I don't know if this is a sign of things still hurting? I can only imagine how much pain they might be feeling. :-(

Augusta, Swedish Blue, is also extra quiet. Not much for drinking yet. Kinda wants to be left alone, away from the others. The trauma seems to still be weighing on her. Her brother and sister were both killed.

Little Kaitryn came through the attack unscathed. She is slightly 'slower' than her siblings (mildly retarded perhaps). That slowness might have saved her. I'm letting her stay with the others so she is not alone.

I've added electrolytes to their water. They have fresh greens, peas and dried worms in addition to regular food and grit. I don't know what else I can be doing for them. I'd welcome as much help and suggestions as possible.

They'll be staying inside until they are healed and the run has an additional 1/4" metal barrier added all around.

*&^%! weasels!

 

[Chullicken]

Very sad and an unfortunate event I went through myself last Christmas. The key is to limit the stress level of your patience, stop bleeding and keep them hydrated if and when you can. Now keep in mind they just went through a life and death situation and are traumatized and more than likely were drained of a lot of blood while still alive and left to die.

1) Stop all bleeding, treat wound initially if using BluKote then switch over to a non-alcohol based product. Alcohol stunts new cell growth.
2) A safe, warm place with plenty of heat. They sleep oddly for a few days and could have little to no movement or involvement with their environment so make sure its a low traffic area.
3) We want to but DON'T keep checking on them like a worried parent, it is bad. They need this time of peace to start rebuilding themselves.
4) Protein and supplements like Electrolytes, you can keep them in powder form if they're eating but not drinking. This gives them a nice boost.

Time is the best thing. Mine had one side of their necks eaten off and that's how I found most of them until I was able to evacuate the area and eliminate the pest. Once they're moving and alert once more make sure they have continued care and treatment based on the severity of each patient. Extreme cases they'll need to be in their own cage until they're able to act like a normal and happy bird. Mine lived with me in my bedroom for two months.

 

[Sapphire Sebright]

Yep, weasels can be nasty little terrors. I'm sorry to hear that you lost two of your hens.
Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with caring for injured chickens. The only advice that I have is to keep an eye on the injured ones -- especially Derryn -- keep them warm and dry, keep the wounds clean, and give a steady supply of food and fresh, clean water. The basics, basically.
An eyedropper can be used to drip water or liquid vitamins into a hen's beak if she needs it but isn't drinking by herself.
When one of my hens was attacked by a hawk, I applied Neosporin to the wounds daily, with a Q-Tip, to keep them clean. However, those wounds were pretty small, and I don't know if the same treatment is advisable for larger wounds.
Separation may be necessary if one or more of the hens starts getting picked on.
I'm not sure how much this will help, and I'm sorry if any of this information is misleading or wrong.
Good luck.

 

[wits end gardens]

@Chullicken, Thank you so much for the info!

I am wanting to check on them constantly, but have taken to listening outside the door. I have them inside in the master bath - temp about 72 in there. I think my husband would have something to say about them in the bedroom for 2 months!

I put on the BluKote last night. I'm not sure about re-coating since the instructions on the bottle are for dogs and horses. I used the daubbing kind vs the spray because I didn't want it in their eyes. I have a topical antibiotic ointment (bacitracin from the vet) that I can switch to.

 

[Chullicken]

And yes as I stated in another forum, I was live and let live but now I made it my purpose to remove all Ermines in a 20 mile radios...they're my 'kids'...Really put me over the edge.

 

[wits end gardens]

I was watching the weasel (actually might be a mink) along the pond just last week. At the time I was like 'hey, cool!', not so much now! If I had been nearby with a shovel I'd have had a new mink stole!

 

[Chullicken]

Sadly the reality is they can't kill what they can't get too..so it was my fault ultimately. But, you know psycho chicken dad moment...won't happen again though I can promise that much.

 

[wits end gardens]

I agree, the guilt on my part is as heavy as the loss of 2 of my flock. I had 1/2" cloth in place, but a small gap between a section was all it took. Plus I had some hay bales stacked along the back of the run (for wind protection) and that gave cover to the murderer. After I'm done with modifications it'll be Fort Knox.