Help ASAP! Cut on side of head

There is info on some of the pages on my site at PoultryPedia.com that may provide some good resources.

Duramycin will not treat the kinds of infections that happen from wounds. The Medicine Chart lists some of the conditions various medicines treat, & some places where you can find to buy the medications.

Penicillin is good for many wound infections. There is info on giving Penicillin on the Poultry Podiatry page. Not all wounds require such a strong antibiotic treatment. A triple antibiotic ointment or other treatment may work very well on their own on some wounds.

Local feed stores are likely to have Penicillin but you will not find it on the stores' shelves. Penicillin has to be stored chilled. Feed stores keep it a refrigerator where they also keep some vaccines. Ask an employee where this frig is, & hopefully they will have some form of Penicillin in it. Ones that say they contain Penicillin G &/or Procaine Penicillin are good for chickens.

The Baytril for Birds page has instructions on force-feeding / force-drinking. I'm not sure if your hen's neck is alright enough such that you can position her head & neck safely the way needed for this method?? If it would work, you can add some water to boiled or scrambled eggs & mash with a fork to make a slurry that you could give her. You could also mix in a sprinkle of "quick" or "instant" rolled oats. If you can't give it down her throat, you may be able to dribble some in her beak, like you have with water.

Feeding probiotics seems to be a helpful support whenever a bird is under stress (especially for battling systemic infections), so a little unsweetened yogurt or something similar might indeed be good. The Fungal Infections page gives some info on probiotics.

Serious wounds should ideally be washed with saline (such as you use to rinse contact lenses). There is info on how to make your own on my post on Super-Glueing Wounds at https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/517234/medical-treatments-recommended-by-bycers/30.

You can Super-Glue some injuries yourself, rather than taking your bird to a vet for possible stitching. I've posted the best pointers I know of at the link above.

There is info on giving aspirin on the Poultry Podiatry page if you decide you want to give some.

Many vitamins/minerals/electrolytes supplement powders that are for putting in chickens' drinking water taste pretty nasty. To help your hen want to drink better, you can mix in a little bit of sugar or a little juice such as apple juice.

That is wonderful you've put her cage where your hen is protected but can still see her friends! And how wonderful that they are visiting her!
love.gif
This will help her be reintegrated more smoothly later, as you probably are figuring.

I personally would tend to treat the wound myself & not take her to the vet. If you do a reasonably good job, I think she's likely to recover well, as long as you can get her to eat & drink. I don't think a vet would do much more than the above treatments (unless there are specific complications that could arise from some particular damage she has--such as a vet might spot if there is an injury that makes it hazardous to force-feed her). I have heard of many birds recovering well from head wounds that went clear to the bone, & believe most of these were without care from a vet. You may be successful treating by yourself.

When I read your post, I was amazed so many of your questions related to info on the site, so I just had to write. I hope it's helpful.
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Just read about your girl, sorry she got hurt. When one of my hens was sick and didn't want to drink or eat I put a little bit of Molasses in with her drinking water. It really perked her up. It might be worth a try for your hen. Good luck and keep the updates coming.
 
There is info on some of the pages on my site at PoultryPedia.com that may provide some good resources.

Duramycin will not treat the kinds of infections that happen from wounds. The Medicine Chart lists some of the conditions various medicines treat, & some places where you can find to buy the medications.

Penicillin is good for many wound infections. There is info on giving Penicillin on the Poultry Podiatry page. Not all wounds require such a strong antibiotic treatment. A triple antibiotic ointment or other treatment may work very well on their own on some wounds.

Local feed stores are likely to have Penicillin but you will not find it on the stores' shelves. Penicillin has to be stored chilled. Feed stores keep it a refrigerator where they also keep some vaccines. Ask an employee where this frig is, & hopefully they will have some form of Penicillin in it. Ones that say they contain Penicillin G &/or Procaine Penicillin are good for chickens.

The Baytril for Birds page has instructions on force-feeding / force-drinking. I'm not sure if your hen's neck is alright enough such that you can position her head & neck safely the way needed for this method?? If it would work, you can add some water to boiled or scrambled eggs & mash with a fork to make a slurry that you could give her. You could also mix in a sprinkle of "quick" or "instant" rolled oats. If you can't give it down her throat, you may be able to dribble some in her beak, like you have with water.

Feeding probiotics seems to be a helpful support whenever a bird is under stress (especially for battling systemic infections), so a little unsweetened yogurt or something similar might indeed be good. The Fungal Infections page gives some info on probiotics.

Serious wounds should ideally be washed with saline (such as you use to rinse contact lenses). There is info on how to make your own on my post on Super-Glueing Wounds at https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/517234/medical-treatments-recommended-by-bycers/30.

You can Super-Glue some injuries yourself, rather than taking your bird to a vet for possible stitching. I've posted the best pointers I know of at the link above.

There is info on giving aspirin on the Poultry Podiatry page if you decide you want to give some.

Many vitamins/minerals/electrolytes supplement powders that are for putting in chickens' drinking water taste pretty nasty. To help your hen want to drink better, you can mix in a little bit of sugar or a little juice such as apple juice.

That is wonderful you've put her cage where your hen is protected but can still see her friends! And how wonderful that they are visiting her!
love.gif
This will help her be reintegrated more smoothly later, as you probably are figuring.

I personally would tend to treat the wound myself & not take her to the vet. If you do a reasonably good job, I think she's likely to recover well, as long as you can get her to eat & drink. I don't think a vet would do much more than the above treatments (unless there are specific complications that could arise from some particular damage she has--such as a vet might spot if there is an injury that makes it hazardous to force-feed her). I have heard of many birds recovering well from head wounds that went clear to the bone, & believe most of these were without care from a vet. You may be successful treating by yourself.

When I read your post, I was amazed so many of your questions related to info on the site, so I just had to write. I hope it's helpful.
smile.png
Oh my goodness, Thanks for all this information! It is really helpful.
I didn't even think about the flavor of the electrolytes so I gave her some regular water this morning and once she figured out it wasn't the electrolyte stuff she drank it faster!
I ended up taking her into a vet that specializes in farm animals today. She got a shot and oral antibiotics to take for 5 days 2x daily. He found other wounds near her neck I didn't even notice. But they aren't too deep which is good. He taught me quite a bit about how to handle her to take care of her. I was so nervous about hurting her.
Just within the hour she has started to eat! I am so excited that she is feeling better, now to get her to drink on her own.
Thanks again!
 
Just read about your girl, sorry she got hurt. When one of my hens was sick and didn't want to drink or eat I put a little bit of Molasses in with her drinking water. It really perked her up. It might be worth a try for your hen. Good luck and keep the updates coming.
I will try Molasses, I have that on hand. Thanks for the idea!
 
For the powder antibiotics. Its 1/2 a table spoon to 1 gal of water. Make sure its made fresh always since it has a short shelf life once mixed. I would do that for 5 days, if shes not better then continue for the full course on the package. Good luck!
 
What antibiotics did he prescribe? I like to learn all I can about any helpful treatments I can add to the site.
Thanks :)
The Doctor said it was a penicillan. He was worried I waited so long (3 days) to start it. But he said her chances of surviving are greater if she has the antibiotic. The label has some initials: SMZ/TMP and to mix well. The nurse said that it has like 6 different things in it to help with infections/bacteria but that they are all penicillan group of antibiotic. So for her weight (3 lbs) it is .6cc twice daily for 5 days.
 

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