Claudia's Battle

[Claudia's Mum]

We have just suffered our first fox attack:-( Two ten week old chicks; one male and one female were taken. No sign of female but males feathers everywhere. We found Claudia, one of two hybrids at the back of the enclosure. First we presumed she was dead, then barely alive. She had no feathers around her neck and her neck was drooping. She is such a lovely chicken and so pretty with lovely pale grey feathers. We decided to give her a chance.

By mid morning I took her to the poultry farm where we had purchased her. The gentleman there said she had been extremely lucky. He thought she just had muscle damage in her neck and a couple of surface wounds plus a slightly deeper wound by her eye. He sprayed her injuries with a blue spray. Does anyone know what this is called? And we popped her back in her temporary nest and box.

This was yesterday and she just drank a little from my hand. I tried a pipette but she didn't like this.

Today her neck is upright most of time. She can stand. She has laid, pooed and drank a little from my hand plus a little on her own. She has eat maybe 8 pieces of corn. Her favourite. I tried her on a recovery receipe I saw on this site, but she has had none. However, the honey and boiled egg etc. were much appreciated by another still traumatised hen. We have six out of nine left after another baby keeled over last week with no symptoms :-(

She is in the coop with the others overnight. In the laying box in her washing up bowl nest with a tea-towel blanket. Because the others are drowsy when they come in we don't think they are bothering her much. Apart from this we have kept her separated due to pecking. But she was out for two hours with everyone in a separate enclosure today for 2 hours.

Obviously being watchful incase fox returns. Coop shut up and temporary solution to foxes entry point in place plus strong lighting. Hopefully enough to keep him at bay tonight until my husband is off Friday to strengthen everything.

Ok, questions.

1) Have we said anything we need to change?
2) How is Claudia doing from a recovery point of view? / What should we expect to see over next few days? / Water intake worrying.

So worried about her :-(

 

[Sara Ranch]

Please consider adding vitamins to her water (like Nutri Drench0.

The blue stuff was probably Kyote (?) I don't use it, so I am not sure of the spelling. Popular for treating animal wounds and keeping others from picking at the wounds.

Encourage her to eat real chicken food. The corn doesn't hold much nutritional value for her.

Keep talking to her and the other girls. Be present & visible as often as you can to deter the fox and to help the girls feel secure.

Make sure she can stay warm. Not sure of your temps.

Lots of love for your girls.

*hugs*

 

[Dawnclucks22]

He sprayed her injuries with a blue spray. Does anyone know what this is called?

I believe that's BlueKote (if I spelled that right... but it's pronounced the way I spelled it haha). It's used on chickens a lot for injuries and sometimes exposed skin. I think maybe because of the shock she and the other traumatized hen should stay in a different, warm place. I've heard of people using dog crates in their houses. When they recover they can return to the coop. But that's just my opinion.
Hope they do well!

 

[Claudia's Mum]

Hi Dawnclucks

Thank you.
Yes, she ended coming in tonight as all the other hens started getting a bit rough with her. She eat more corn from my hand and water too. I sat with her, while she was in her nest (in a box) and she started chatting back to me for first time since attack. She came in just before dusk and I left lights off so she naturally got drowsy and fell asleep.

Interestingly, no one pecked her first night after attack but she looked really unwell and I think they were all in shock. To be honest I would have probably brought them all in but my husband not so sentimental and a bit more practical

The whole think really affected me. I have never kept chickens before but I really love it and them.

 

[Claudia's Mum]

Hi Sara

Thank you for advice on vitamins. Will get that. Yes, they are only free ranging when we are out in garden and they like a chat. If she doesn't take feed tomorrow thought of buying baby chick feed as she loved pinching it when the little chicks were first introduced to coop.

 

[Sara Ranch]

Have you considered making it a wet mash for her? She will get some water and get more feed in her.

Higher protein is good too. Cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, some meat...

 

[Claudia's Mum]

Hi Sara and Dawnclucks

Thank you for all your advice. We are on day 5 and she is eating and drinking by herself. She didn't like any of the soft foods; all the other chickens did though But we got the vitamin supplement for her/their water. She is perching at night and during the day and is walking up and down her ramp and around her little enclosure a bit. She looks less frozen and is acting naturally when the other chickens are let out and feed around her enclosure. When they feed, she feeds. Although winter is fast approaching we have only had one frost and apart from today there has been some nice autumn sun which they have all enjoyed.

So my next question is when should she get back to a bit of socializing? We aren't thinking yet as she is obviously still weak and didn't want to free range on her own when I opened the gate to her enclosure today. Our other traumatized hen Verena has coped well with the others; she's just a little cautious now. We only have another fully grown hen (Blue) and her 3 chicks (10 weeks old). Everyone has plenty of room, lots of perches, and things to hide behind. Verena is very interested in Claudia. They came from same farm. But Verena is also the one who tried pecking her the most when we tried letting Claudia sleep in the laying box. Actually, this is Verena's space as she came with a bent claw and finds perching difficult. But she has also pecked Claudia several other times. Is she being friendly/ clean wound or trying to change pecking order? Claudia was always stronger than Verena.