UPDATE: Hawk attack--patch of hen's skin on back torn off! HELP

This evening we left our six hens unattended in the backyard with our two border collies who look out for them. We had to run an errand and when we returned one hen was motionless. I thought she was dead but noticed she was still breathing despite the patch of skin missing from her back, feathers strewn about, puncture wounds and bruising in the neck. My initial thought was one of the dogs did it, but upon reflection we determined that it must have been a hawk. I cleaned the wounds with warm water, put a bit of Neosporin around the punctures but not in the wounds, used a human-grade antiseptic directly on all wounds, used a bit of Blu-Kote but not too much (figured the wounds needed air), and segregated her from the flock in a large, sturdy cardboard box with straw housed within a secure dog kennel. I didn't have any iodine so I improvised. I was able to give her a couple milliliters of water laced with antibiotics and electrolytes via dropper and she didn't want food; she was in shock for an hour or so. She seems to be better, can stand and lift her head and move her neck. What else can I do?? Pic of injury is below.

You did all you could do initially. Now you start the waiting game. She will either make it or not, and there is nothing more you can do to help, but keep her warm, quiet, and in a dim room.

Several years ago, I had a hen flayed by a hawk. The injuries to my bird were much worse than your bird's wounds. She basically had an 8x8" swatch of skin removed from her back and sides. She survived the initial injury and 2 secondary infections to eventually heal up. She was "hospitalized" for about 2 months trying to re-grow her skin. It did eventually happen, though.

You need to keep your hen in a dim area to try to break the laying cycle. The last thing she needs to be doing right now is producing eggs that will just need to be discarded anyways because of the antibiotic.

She will need to be kept hydrated, but she may not eat for the first few days. That's OK for the first 2 days, but then she needs to eat. Give her lots of high protein treats to help aid in healing that skin. Don't worry so much about the electrolytes after the first day. Plain water (or vitamin/water) is fine.

Water soluble antibiotics are probably not going to cut it if she gets an infection. For wounds Pen G is the recommended antibiotic. It can be acquired at the feed store with syringes. If the wound starts to get really red, hot and weepy you will need to think about the injectible antibiotic.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

Thank you! One more question: do I keep the wounds covered or not?

You probably won't be able to. The bird will fuss and pick at any bandages. If you have some Vet Wrap you may be able to keep something attached, but that's about the only thing that will stay in place. I used a saddle to cover my girl's wounds. Her entire back was bare, though. The bandages were more to keep her from being chilled by the large area of wet ointment than for wound protection. Mine was alone in a hospital crate with a towel for bedding, so the wound stayed very clean. That didn't stop her from getting 2 infections despite my best efforts.

I had a hen that recovered from similar serious wounds. Do give her antibiotics, especially because of the punctures. There's a wound dressing at the pharmacy that is like cotton wool - and it melts into a wound and keeps it dry and clean. You can use it without bandages. Not only did my hen recover, but she grew all of her feathers back. You can read what I did here: http://hencam.com/henblog/2008/06/buffys-ongoing-recovery/
Good-luck!

Thank you both for responding so quickly and giving me some valuable tips. I really, REALLY appreciate it! This is my first flock and just when I thought we had dealt with every problem imaginable (very sick bird that we had to put down, mites, lice, very broody hen that we ended up getting two foster chicks for one week ago--never had chicks before!), this happened. Somebody please tell me we can have a few trouble-free months now!

Thanks again--I'll keep you posted.

I had a similar experience, but on a smaller scale a few months ago. A predator ripped the skin off the back of one of my pullet's head. I applied antibiotic ointment and luckily she didn't get an infection. Very lucky for us, as getting meds in our part of the world is a battle. The skin grew back slowly and she got new feathers too.
Good luck with your hen!

Thanks, sumi! She's still alive today and seems to be much more alert. Not eating but I was able to give her about 30 ml of antibiotic/vitamin/electrolyte laced water via dropper. She can stand and move her head and I applied gauze coated in Neosporin to the main wound. The pharmacist at CVS--yes, I asked him about my girl!--said that this would be good to do and just keep the neck clean with antiseptic. Today I talked to staff at the local raptor rescue/rehabilitation center and they said everything I've done thus far is spot-on, thank goodness, but that she might need stitches. They said that when skin is ripped away, the wound looks bigger than it really is because the skin surrounding the gap shrinks back. They gave me their local vet's info and said I should talk to him first thing Monday AM and it would be about $80 to stitch her up. Let's hope she makes it until then. I wanted to share what I've learned thus far with everyone here in the event in happens to anyone else.

You're doing a good job with your hen! Hope she makes a full recovery. I was so freaked out when I found my pullet with that horrific wound, I came here immediately to ask for help. And some members had similar experiences and gave me advice. I'm so glad she's o.k. now. And I'm still amazed at how well she recovered.

Yes, this is the first place I came as well and found some good starter info, but can't thank you all enough for responding so quickly with so much great advice!