Badly injured hen by a rooster.

[Rustic Ridge Coop]

Horrible injuries don’t me by a rooster. We are willing to nurse her unless she will suffer more. Her neck is exposed and the other injury is under the wing. Please advise. Thank you so much for this forum!

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Hi @RusticRidgeFarm. Was this done by the rooster??

How is she, spirit wise?
- take her inside and try to get the wound totally clean! If it would be one of my ducks, I would put loads of iodine ointment on top and bandage it.
- After I would make sure she is in a warm and dry area with her favorite food and snacks.
And.. have a discussion with your rooster about moving out...

@Wyorp Rock are you able to assist?

 

[Rustic Ridge Coop]

Hi @RusticRidgeFarm. Was this done by the rooster??

How is she, spirit wise?
- take her inside and try to get the wound totally clean! If it would be one of my ducks, I would put loads of iodine ointment on top and bandage it.
- After I would make sure she is in a warm and dry area with her favorite food and snacks.
And.. have a discussion with your rooster about moving out...

@Wyorp Rock are you able to assist?

Yes it was a rooster and yes he has moved out. We have cleaned andiidined it. Trying to decide about stitches or just bandage.

 

[Rustic Ridge Coop]

Hi @RusticRidgeFarm. Was this done by the rooster??

How is she, spirit wise?
- take her inside and try to get the wound totally clean! If it would be one of my ducks, I would put loads of iodine ointment on top and bandage it.
- After I would make sure she is in a warm and dry area with her favorite food and snacks.
And.. have a discussion with your rooster about moving out...

@Wyorp Rock are you able to assist?

She is outside the coop walking, eating and drinking.

 

[coach723]

Both stitches and bandaging can seal bacteria in and set them up for infection. Most of the time it's best to leave them open. Once it's flushed out well, then apply a petroleum based ointment, a plain triple antibiotic ointment or neosporin that you can get in any first aid dept works well. Keep the wounds covered in that, reapply as needed to keep them covered in it. That will protect them and keep them moist, which will help healing. I would keep here where she can't be pecked at by other birds, they are attracted to red, and blood, and could make the wounds worse. A wire crate in the run with the others is usually least stressful and makes reintegration easier after. I would also use towels or puppy pads in the crate as long as the wounds are still open, to help keep them clean, loose bedding can get stuck in there, as well as dirt if she's roaming. Once they scab over, that's no longer a worry. As long as there is no infection, she should heal up well and be fine after, though it will take some time. Scabs may be very thick when they form, they will gradually come off on their own. Signs of infection would be a bad odor (you will know), redness or swelling more than the injuries would suggest, any pus or discharge from the wounds.

 

[coach723]

This thread has some pictures of wounds during healing, for reference:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wounds-pictures-of-how-they-heal.1325817/#post-21627607

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Both stitches and bandaging can seal bacteria in and set them up for infection. Most of the time it's best to leave them open. Once it's flushed out well, then apply a petroleum based ointment, a plain triple antibiotic ointment or neosporin that you can get in any first aid dept works well. Keep the wounds covered in that, reapply as needed to keep them covered in it. That will protect them and keep them moist, which will help healing. I would keep here where she can't be pecked at by other birds, they are attracted to red, and blood, and could make the wounds worse. A wire crate in the run with the others is usually least stressful and makes reintegration easier after. I would also use towels or puppy pads in the crate as long as the wounds are still open, to help keep them clean, loose bedding can get stuck in there, as well as dirt if she's roaming. Once they scab over, that's no longer a worry. As long as there is no infection, she should heal up well and be fine after, though it will take some time. Scabs may be very thick when they form, they will gradually come off on their own. Signs of infection would be a bad odor (you will know), redness or swelling more than the injuries would suggest, any pus or discharge from the wounds.

Small sidestep: Hi @coach723 , do you never bandage wounds? I use gauze which is used for human wounds too. this will never close the wound of entirely and there is still room to breath...
The positive thing about using this is (I find) that they don't get their own feathers stuck in the wound or pick themselves...
I'm curious what your opinion is on this

 

[Rustic Ridge Coop]

Both stitches and bandaging can seal bacteria in and set them up for infection. Most of the time it's best to leave them open. Once it's flushed out well, then apply a petroleum based ointment, a plain triple antibiotic ointment or neosporin that you can get in any first aid dept works well. Keep the wounds covered in that, reapply as needed to keep them covered in it. That will protect them and keep them moist, which will help healing. I would keep here where she can't be pecked at by other birds, they are attracted to red, and blood, and could make the wounds worse. A wire crate in the run with the others is usually least stressful and makes reintegration easier after. I would also use towels or puppy pads in the crate as long as the wounds are still open, to help keep them clean, loose bedding can get stuck in there, as well as dirt if she's roaming. Once they scab over, that's no longer a worry. As long as there is no infection, she should heal up well and be fine after, though it will take some time. Scabs may be very thick when they form, they will gradually come off on their own. Signs of infection would be a bad odor (you will know), redness or swelling more than the injuries would suggest, any pus or discharge from the wounds.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[coach723]

Small sidestep: Hi @coach723 , do you never bandage wounds? I use gauze which is used for human wounds too. this will never close the wound of entirely and there is still room to breath...
The positive thing about using this is (I find) that they don't get their own feathers stuck in the wound or pick themselves...
I'm curious what your opinion is on this

The only time I bandage is when it's necessary to keep it clean, like with bumblefoot. I've never stitched anything on a chicken. If I ever had to do a crop surgery, that I would stitch. Most wounds they get are too ragged to stitch up well anyway. While the gauze may let some air in, it's still not the same as open air. Many bacteria's thrive in an anaerobic environment, so air is a good thing. The only other reason I would cover something was if the bird itself wouldn't leave it alone, and that doesn't happen real often. I had a bird scalped, a lot like the picture above, and treated like I described, she recovered fine, feathers eventually filled back in and you couldn't tell it happened. For any feathers that are getting in the wound, I just trim them back with scissors, they will eventually grow back.

 

[Rustic Ridge Coop]

The only time I bandage is when it's necessary to keep it clean, like with bumblefoot. I've never stitched anything on a chicken. If I ever had to do a crop surgery, that I would stitch. Most wounds they get are too ragged to stitch up well anyway. While the gauze may let some air in, it's still not the same as open air. Many bacteria's thrive in an anaerobic environment, so air is a good thing. The only other reason I would cover something was if the bird itself wouldn't leave it alone, and that doesn't happen real often. I had a bird scalped, a lot like the picture above, and treated like I described, she recovered fine, feathers eventually filled back in and you couldn't tell it happened. For any feathers that are getting in the wound, I just trim them back with scissors, they will eventually grow back.

This is so helpful, thank you.