Re: coyotes, i think

Jan Flora <snowshoe@xxxxxxx> wrote in
news:snowshoe-31B434.03282129082006@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

In article <Xns982D6DBE44FEFenigmaempirenet@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,
enigma <enigma@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

we had coyotes in the yard a couple weeks ago, an adult &
a half-grown pup. the adult was obviously ill, mangey
looking & staggering (rabies in the local fox population
is common, so i think that it was likely here). i'm
guessing if the adult had it, the pup had or would get,
it. i haven't seen them again anyway.
today, i was feeding the girls treats & noticed that one
has
some pretty ugly wounds on her sides under the wings. they
look consistant to bites from a canine. she *was* acting a
bit droopy a couple days ago, but she has also been laying
some pretty huge eggs lately... she's acting just fine
now.
i need to catch her to look for infection, but, do
chickens
get rabies? what's the best way to treat her for
infection? i can easily crate her for individual
treatment. any ideas? lee

At the very least, I would isolate the bird, Lee. Even if
she's not sick, if she's wounded, it would be less
stressful for her to be off by herself while she heals,
instead of living in the rough & tumble environment of a
flock. You can buy electrolytes with vitamins (water
soluable powder) at the feed store and put some in her
water. Won't hurt. Might help.

they free range during the day, & she's hanging with her
usual group (her sister, a Rock, one of the Silkies, a white
Leghorn, 2 Americuna & the Specklesd Sussex Rooster). no one
is picking at her, which is good. i'm afraid she'd get
depressed if she couldn't range.

however, i think isolation would help at night until i get
rid of all the excess Orp roosters. none of the hens want to
go into the coop if that mob is in there, not even the Orp
hens.

I don't know how to treat a hen for infection. Call your
vet and ask. Most large animal vets will have a fair
knowledge of poultry, just because us farm & ranch folks
usually keep a few hens.

i'm using the betadine & sugar mix my vet recommended for a
hen i had that was picked to the point her skull was exposed.
healed her right up in less than 2 weeks. the sugar keeps the
betadine where it belongs.
it doesn't appear (or smell) like Red has an infection, but
she does have some exposed muscle on one side & a tooth hole
on the other.

And keep a rifle handy in case the coyotes come back and
give you any trouble. (Our predators are so many & varied
up here that we have my 12 gauge with bear loads, Chris's
.300 Savage and my .357 pistol all next to the door, so we
can grab the appropriate weapon depending on what's in the
chicken yard. We need to load his 12 gauge up with bird
loads, as we've had trouble with big birds preying on my
little hens.) (We also need to put up a hot wire to keep
4-legged varmints out of the chicken yard...)

yeah, we have a gun next to the door... the llamas were
alarming last week, but we couldn't see anything in the dark.
we have hot wire around all the pastures because it keeps the
goats *in* (wish it kept deer out though).
is it legal to shoot hawks that kill chickens? we lost a
Silkie roo to a hawk last fall, but mostly the hawks have
enough other birds & small animals around that they don't
bother the chooks.

The Merck Veterinary Manual is online. Or go ask Doc Newell
on the wreck.ick -- she'd probably know.

wreak.ick?
i have a Merck manual, 8th ED... (& a 5th). i'll go look it up
& see if there's anything useful
thanks
lee <wondering if Red wandered into the dog pen...>
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson
.

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