2mth old Chick w/ LARGE HOLE in Chest! PLEASE READ?

[innof8happinesses]

Hello,

We have a sweet little chick that had a run in with a chihuahua... our second one this year (UGH)! She has a hole in her chest the size of maybe a quarter to half dollar... I rinsed it out yesterday when it happened but "material" started coming out... and I got grossed out and put her in a quiet tank with antibiotics in the water to "see" how she does. I wanted to wrap her with vet wrap and put meds on it.,.. but it was reallllllllly gross! The bleeding did stop, however.

She is eating and drinking normal.. she did well overnight. She stands and gets around a small 10 gal fish tank that she is too big for. Anyway, tonight looking at the wound it looks as if the whole has something coming through it (an organ???). Then we noticed that when she drinks it looks as through the water filters out through this hole. It is dripping clear fluids. I imagine she needs stitches to close the hole. She appears alert and active otherwise. I doubt we can afford the medical expenses (as the vets around here charge a fortune for things like this). What do you advise?

The children love her... but we don't want to see her die a slow death. Can something like this heal? I tried to take a pic through the glass, but just doesn't turn out...

 

[preppy*hippie*chick]

I've read that chickens tolerate being stitched up well, if you have the nerve to do it yourself. My only advice would be that if she goes downhill, she probably won't come back up and at that point you should cull. Hopefully someone who knows more than me will post. Good luck!

 

[innof8happinesses]

Oh my... I don't think I can! I don't have any help right now.

She is still strong and fight me to help her....

 

[lickskillet]

Is the hole where her crop would be? Maybe it's the contents of the crop coming out? Good luck, poor baby!

 

[nnbreeder]

If the wound is on the right side it is probably crop damage as lickskillet says. She will have to be sewn up or she will starve to death. Now is the time to make the decision because if you wait too long the edges of the wound will start to heal and even if they are stitched up the edges won't adhere or knit together. Then it will be time for intervention by a vet as the edges will have to be trimmed to get the wound to heal.

 

[NotTheMomma]

Are you sure water is dripping out and not the normal body fluids? Think of a burn wound, and the blister that is fluid filled. That type of fluid draining from the wound in the chick, versus actual water from the chick.

When it eats, do you see anything dripping out then?

Chickens have amazing ability to heal. I'd keep some antibiotic ointment on the wound, put a gauze over it so the chick doesn't start pecking it, and vet wrap, or gauze wrap it. If possible, leave the wings out of the wrap. Ya know, even those large bandaids for knee scraps would probably be big enough for a chick!

Keep the wound clean, offer some good proteins to help with healing, and see what happens. If the chick starts suffering, or stops eating/drinking, or the wound gets infected, we'll deal with that bridge when/if we get to it!

Make sure the wound is clean though. If you haven't cleaned it yet, I'd use half peroxide/half saline solution, or even just peroxide for the initial cleaning. Then Saline solution as needed to keep it clean, and antibiotic ointment to keep it moist so it will heal from the inside out, and not just on the outside.

Offering the chick a few drops of Poly Vi Sol, (liquid baby vitamins available at Walmart, Walgreens, Kmart, etc.). Give it 2-3 drops or so once a day for a week just to give it a bit of a jump start. Good proteins from boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, etc. Continue with the chick starter. And if the wound is covered, I'd give the little dude a friend, as chicks don't like to be by themself. HOWEVER, watch to make sure it's not getting picked on!!! You could try hanging a feather duster in there with it so it can snuggle. A stuffed animal would work as well.

Sorry so long! Keep us posted and we'll deal with what comes up, IF it does!

 

[innof8happinesses]

Thanks for all the great information! I don't know if it is the crop area... But we only saw clear fluids leak out after she drinks. We have not seen food yet on it or coming out... but we don't watch her constantly. I think you are right... the edges are starting to heal and may not be possible to stitch? We will try to evaluate more today (unfortunately we have a crazy busy day - not normal for us...) This list is so great when you need help!!!! I am MOST GRATEFUL! I'll post more as I know it... And try to get a new pic.

Blessings to you all~

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I bet this is her crop. Please bite the bullet and either sew her up or put her down. These are things that come with the territory of owning chickens, IMO if you cannot stomach doing them and you cannot take her to the vet then you should not own chickens.
I really hope you don't plan to take a watch and wait approach with poor Hashbrown. She will suffer to death if you don't do anything. She probably needs antibiotics and vitamins and elecrtolytes at this point and needs to have the wound stitched shut. In a bind you can stitch with regular needle and thread, sterilized of course! I try to use a bright color so I can see it on the bird.
Chickens have a very high threshold of pain so just grab the two pieces of skin and you can sew it right up. Also, you could use superglue which originally was design to hold wounds closed. If you use superglue just keep her inside until dry and with either way use a broad spectrum antibiotic. Here at Pine Burrow we have stitched up some very serious gaping wounds and in a few days they have a nice scab that heals quite quickly. Chickens have remarkable healing abilities better than humans.
Something I just thought of, if it is a crop wound you will have two layers first where the crop has been cut and needs to be fixed than the outer layer of skin. Not both layers together. If you use glue let the crop dry before you close the outer skin. You can give crushed aspirin in water for the pain that she does have.

 

[innof8happinesses]

Thanks for the advice! It is not a matter of not stomaching it... just not knowing what I am looking at and doing it right. And I need another adult around to help... But I will do my best by "Skittles".

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Different chick than you thought originally? I thought it was Hashbrown?