4 month old chicken with open wound on back-edit-RECOVERING!

[Dahlea]

We finally were mixing our 2 hens with our 2 younger chicks. They did fine overnight and were fine this morning when I checked. However, this afternoon, I found one of the chicks (they are Araucana if it matters) trapped in a corner by the chicken wire, and half of her back is an open wound, punctured as well. She was not moving, and was completely meek when my husband crawled in to pull her out. Kratts is now in a box in the garage with some straw in it. It looks awful, and she's still not moving at all (she is obviously alive and breathing, though) Tractor supply and the pet stores are closed for the night. What can I do? Will she make it? From what I've read on here (I've been scouring the internet frantically)-they seem like they'll heal if they're moving around, but she isn't.
Please help! My son loves our chickens and keeps saying "bock bock hurt?" It's breaking my heart-she's barely gotten to live a chicken life. I don't want to make her suffer unnecessarily though.
We don't have any experience with chicken injuries, our others have always been fine. We aren't able to go to a vet at this time, because I had an ER visit of my own this week, and we are pretty broke. Please help!

*eta* What are good foods to feed her to help her recover? Canned cat food, yogurt, what else? Should I still be giving her pellets or not?


We ended up cleaning her with hydrogen peroxide/water, then saline solution. We dusted her with cornstarch (I read that on here) to help keep flies away. I gave her some probiotic yogurt mixed with her regular feed, and some aspirin in her water (also read here) We kept a screen over the box she was in to prevent bugs from getting in. It is scabbing over today and we rinsed her with saline again and then sprayed with Blu-Kote. She is eating and drinking normally, and is overall much perkier. I love this site-I was afraid we'd have to put her down before I read the tips here.

 

[redhen689]

I have had chickens recover from serious injuries/wounds. Clean it up, put antibiotic ointment on it. Feed some crumbles mixed with yogurt, or canned cat food.

If she is not moving her legs at all, she might have a broken neck, and then it is hopeless and she will die. Sometimes they are able to breathe for a while with a broken neck, but not for long.
Unfortunately I have a dog that has done that to some former chickens of mine and it is very sad.

 

[Dahlea]

She is standing! She isnt really moving but she is standing up. We made some saline solution up and are going to flush the wound and I found some plain antibiotic ointment. I read on here that I can give aspirin in her water for pain? How long should I do that for? And I read they need electrolytes in their water-can I use gatorade powder or do they sell something at the feed store?
Thanks for giving me hope.

 

[redhen689]

If she will eat the pellets they are fine. Just make sure you are giving her something she will eat.

My hen that had a severe injury could not see, so it was a struggle for her to find the food and eat, When I would dip her beak into yogurt, she would eagerly eat, so I mixed that with some crumbles and held it up to her beak.

I did call a vet at that time and she had me give a fragment of a baby aspirin, like an 1/4 or 1/8th I don't remember, but I only did that a time or two.

Elecrolytes? I don't think I did that. I think I just gave her water. If I were going to use Gatorade I'd dilute it probably 1/4 gatorade, and 3/4 water, you could try pedialyte too.

Don't worry about the specifics too much. Make sure she is eating and drinking, and that you've cleaned out the wound and put some ointment on it and then wrapped it up.