Baby bantam with wing broken off at halfway point ---HELP PLEASE

[LIL PEEP NURSE]

Hi everyone, I just joined backyard chickens while searching for advice on what to do about my daughter's little baby bantam chick. The chick is about 5 weeks old and was hatched by her mama in our backyard. They are my daughter's pets and she truly loves them. I think some nasty animal tried to pull it through the chicken fencing and ended up pulling it's wing off at the elbow (I think it's called the humerus) The chick is eating and drinking and pooping. We cleaned the wound with saline and put betadine on it then put some triple antibiotic ointment on it. We brought the chick and mama inside and put them in a large plastic crate with a screen over it to keep flies out, since it's warm here. On the advice of tractor supply I put some sav-a-chick and Duromycin-10 in it's water. It seems that the wing was pulled off right out of the joint leaving the end of the bone intact--there is no shattered bone, but a small portion of the end of the bone is exposed and not covered with any tissue. We handle our chickens a lot so he is calm when we treat his wing. There was only a little bleeding which was already stopped when we first found him. He seems okay walking around eating and drinking and laying with mama. It's so tiny I can't bandage it. He can move the portion of the wing that is left. What should I do about the little piece of exposed bone? Will tissue ever grow back over it? We're new chicken owners, and the only way I can describe the end of the bone is that it looks like the bottom of a drumstick chicken wing piece in the grocery store. He's a little sweetheart and I'd like him not to lose the portion of the wing that he has left since he can flap it and move it. Please help me. Should I put Blucote on it? I was afraid that he would preen and ingest it and cause more trouble. His mother is being wonderful she is not pecking him at all and instead cuddles him under her wing. Beautiful to watch. My daughter is on chick watch to make sure he doesn't get pecked. I don't want to take him from his mama because he gets very upset when she's not around. Any advice would be appreciated.....Thanks!! This is day 3 of the injury.

 

[leadwolf1]

Keep him inside and protected. The greatest risk right now would be shock and infection. Keep him calm and safe, with mama, and keep cleaning and putting the antibiotic on. I think that he has a great chance of pulling through as long as infection doesn't set in. The only other thing is maybe a couple drops of poly vi sol daily for some added boost to him immune system.

You can use bluekote, it won't hurt and just might help. I think that the bone will heal as will the skin. Whether it will heal over, remains to be seen. You would almost need a vet to shorten the bone and suture the skin closed over the end for it to heal properly.

 

[LIL PEEP NURSE]

thanks for replying so quickly! what is poly vi sol? A vitamin? What are the first signs of infection? I couldn't imagine putting him through anything like shortening the bone right now, he's already been through so much. Can it heal without the bone being totally covered? Should I wait for it to heal to take him to the vet for bone shortening? Would the vet use anesthesia? I don't want him to have any more pain poor little thing! As I said I'm so new at this!! I love that little thing, and it just breaks my heart! Thanks! Would I be able to get poly vi sol at Tractor supply?

 

[LIL PEEP NURSE]

Keep him inside and protected. The greatest risk right now would be shock and infection. Keep him calm and safe, with mama, and keep cleaning and putting the antibiotic on. I think that he has a great chance of pulling through as long as infection doesn't set in. The only other thing is maybe a couple drops of poly vi sol daily for some added boost to him immune system.

You can use bluekote, it won't hurt and just might help. I think that the bone will heal as will the skin. Whether it will heal over, remains to be seen. You would almost need a vet to shorten the bone and suture the skin closed over the end for it to heal properly.

I've never used a forum before so I apologize for not replying correctly...I'm not ever on live internet so I don't do this too well what is poly vi sol, a vitamin? Should I take him to the vet now for the bone shortening? Could the vet use anesthesia, he's so small, I just don't want him in any pain. I wrote another version of this reply but posted it a different way. Bear with me, I'm new at chicks and live internet!! Thanks leadwolf! Heading to tractor supply now--I'll check in later!

 

[leadwolf1]

Poly vi sol, without iron, is a children's vitamin and you can get it at any store that has a pharmacy department. If you want the wing to heal professional looking...then, yes, you would need to take him to the vet. If you just want it to heal and not look ''pretty'' then, he should heal fine with just the antibiotic.

You will know if it starts getting infected...it's the same as with people. Redness, swelling, discharge and hot to the touch.