Treating wounds

My chicken was attacked and lost half a foot and the leg was damaged so bad the bone and tendon was exposed. I cleaned the would, applied antibacterial medication and wrapped with a clean dressing. Is there anything else I can do?

Welcome to BYC. Sorry about your chicken--what attacked her? If you can get Vetericyn wound spray, it is good to treat wounds. If not, then plain bacitracin or neosporin ointment should be applied. Wound infection can be possible, so look for redness, puss, or a bad odor in the wound. A vet could prescribe a good antibiotic and pain medicine if that is possible. I really hope that you can save her. Chickens can get along with only one good leg. Let us know how she is doing.

Thank you for your advise! I have been giving her tetracycline. It looks like the wound is starting to heal. She is very perky. I will keep you posted. Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I'm late with this advice. But get a hold of some NuStock. Fabulous stuff! I'm never without it. It is made as a deep wound salve. It's antibacterial and anti fungal. It's just made of sulfur, pine tar and mineral oil. I had a dog attack one of my hens that flew INTO the dog lot...dumb chicken. Anyway, tore her up to where I could see tendons. I slathered my NuStock on her, put her In a crate and waited. I put her back out with the others in two weeks. Amazing stuff. You can also use it in leg mites. It will get rid of them with one use. This stuff is made to stay in place..it doesn't wear off easily. So it keeps the medicine where you want it. I've even used it on my cat! It's organic! She wasn't happy, but it worked wonderfully on a big ole abscess! Good luck!

Thank you so much. I will get some. I am hoping she gets the use back of her leg. At this point she is hopping around on one leg.

Often keeping the wound clean will allow healing to take place. However, as you have noticed, secondary lameness issues will have to be dealt with. Massive trauma usually results in tendon damage that will leave the leg permanently defective. Not to worry though as chickens can learn to walk peg-legged and you only have to worry about the injured bird maintaining her status within the flock. Watch her and make sure she is not being picked on by the others once she is returned to the flock.

The drugs I like to use for severe trauma is torbutrol, valium and if needed baytril for infection. The first two drugs are controlled substances and are available from a veterinarian. They work well for pain and easing stress in certain avian patients. However, many flock owners can't afford all this, and simply supplying basic care will work wonders. Cleaning the wound, keeping it bandaged, and giving the patient a quiet place to recover is never the wrong thing to do.

Hope this helps. And good luck!

@countrygirlmrb , another drug that is used for pain and swelling in birds is Meloxicam.

-Kathy