Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[MaxBaz]

for the last three and a half years, I have been really lucky and not had any foxes in the garden - so girls have been able to free range for many hours safely.

 

That was until a fortnight ago whilst I was on holiday and had somebody was looking after them. It wasn't their fault at all - fox arrived at 3.45 in the afternoon - attempted to cart off my little Sussex - Lilly, but the racket that ensued meant he dropped her and ran away.

 

Nearly two weeks on she is hugely improved - had to have her neck stapled as the skin was badly split and she has a huge loose flap of skin under one of her wings - half her feathers gone but wounds appear to be healing and she isn't just sitting all day now, but attempting to preen and tidy herself up.

 

Had been on Baytril for 6 days and although she is standing awkwardly (like a penguin out of water) and shuffling about is eating and drinking and quietly clucking.

 

Am I being too optimistic that she can get over this? Can't see how she will ever be able to jump back into the Cube (she is on her own in an Eglu) and really want to give her a chance. Not prepared for poor little thing to suffer by being on her own and the equivalent of wheelchair bound for the rest of her days if I'm clutching at straws.

[MaxBaz]

Update - Lilly still with us - know a lot of people have read this post, but as yet no responses - has anybody else had a hen survive this sort of thing? Vet is still amazed she has got this far!

[Plum]

Plucky little hen. Only you can decide if she is suffering and whether you should continue. It sounds as though she is getting a quality of life back. We each have our own level at which we will treat and pay vet fees but no animal should suffer because we aren't brave enough to do the right thing for them.

 

You are working with the vet and perhaps she has turned the corner. Good luck

[sandyhas3chucks]

my vet treated something similar, might even be yours? Fred?

I know someone had a fox attack last year, took one no real injuries to other 3 but boy were they nervy took them 2 weeks to get over it with no surgery.

She could still have lots of internal bruising as well as external?

Have you got them in a secure run now unless you are out with them? She is very likely worried she might get attacked again.??

[MaxBaz]

Hi - they are all really nervy, I actually sit outside in the garden with them reading my book. Can't risk going through that again as the back garden is quite sheltered and I may not see any "visitors" arriving.

 

Lilly is getting there - my vet is Lucia (such a sweet lady!) and she posted me some wound ointment to put on twice a day under the wing. There is literally an area about 2 inches square with no skin whatsoever, just the muscle underneath. Must be very painful.

 

Today I let Lilly wander (waddle) about on the soil and she sort of attempted a dust bath as best she could and you could tell she really enjoyed it. She is starting to extend her wings a lot more.

 

Thank goodness for Ready Brek, corn on the cob and probiotic yoghut to give her extra energy!

[sandyhas3chucks]

how about arnica pill to help with bruising...?

Funny exactly what mine have lol. also I pop some Critical care solution in as it has all the nutrients needed (as i understand it) there is also another formular that Chucky Mumma recommended.... I really must make a proper mental note of it..

well you do know there is another survivor out in Surrey

[gongladosh]

Good luck with recovering, little Lilly!

[dobby]

Hi I have registered just to reply to your post!

Last August our thre hens were attacked by a fox and only one survived. Originally the vet thought it was just flesh wounds, so she had a night there, being stiched up and on the heat pad for shock. It was touch and go if she would survive the night and we were told she would never lay again due to the trauma.

 

Well we brought her home and over the next week she began to perk up, although she appeared to have problems walking - she would shuffle, or walk tail donw, like ducks do, and when she sat down she would have all the weight on one side. A return check up at the vets one week later led to an awful discovery - the reason she was not walking well was that she had a broken leg. X rays the following day showed it was a displaced fracture too - its incredible she walked at all given the agony she must have been in!

 

The vet advised that they knew of no hen or other bird that had been treated for fractures and we were so upset - I am a childminder and the children doted on the hens. They were all upset at the loss of our other two girls but had been cheered that Poppy was ,as we had thought, getting better. Being brutally honest, had we known about the broken leg the previous weekend, Poppy would have been put out of our misery :0(

 

The vet asked us to take Poppy home as it was a Saturday so no further treatment decisions could be made. We had a horrible weekend of trying to keep Poppy comfortable ( The vet had given us strong painkillers to help discourage her from moving around too much) and also helping our daughter cope with the impending loss of our last hen - she was in pieces the previous weekend when we had to deal with the other two girls. I hated the vet for missing the break in the first place, then asking me to take Poppy home rather than dealing with things there and then. By Monday I just wanted to get her to the surgery and end hers and everyone pain.

 

Then we had a call from the vet. She had spoken with the senior partners and due to the circumstances they would do the surgery on Poppy to pin the fractured leg AND they would do it free of charge!! We could believe it - our girl was being given a second (well third, as she survived the attack!) chance at life!

 

We were warned there were alot of risks. Every time an x ray was needed - and this was several, she needed anasthetic. On birds like other small lunged animals, this can be fatal. The op to set and pin the leg was a huge gamble, then she had to have bed rest for 6 weeks - imagine keeping a hen bedbound!! Oh and daily antibiotics and pain meds to be administered - without moving her too much!! Oh and then an op to remove the large steels and leave a permanent pin, plus slowy increasing exercise - Poppy always pushed the boundaries and i would get told off for letting her do too much!

 

Almost a year on and Poppy has not only recovered but is head hen of our new flock of four. She runs and jumps around, sometimes a bit slower and lower than the others, but none the less is very much in charge - oh and the no eggs thing? She started laying two days after the first attack and only stopped afor a few days around surgery time, otherwise she is an excellent lyer of lovely large pink eggs - we are very proud of our bionic chicken!!

[MaxBaz]

Thanks everybody for your responses to this post - have now raised a new one about trying to get her integrated back with the other hens.

 

This is almost worse - as she is absolutely petrified of them and even on a one-to-one they attack her.

 

This thread is on Chickens.

[izzys-hens]

could you not spray her with anti peck spray, being carful not to get it into her injuries, i hope she gets better.