Chicken attacked by a coyote, big neck wound, please HELP

[Rach403]

So... I'm probably going to be read the riot act for saying this. I'm no expert but ended up with a chicken that got her head stuck in a fence which scalped her. I took her to the vet and mind you, I don't live in an area where we have specialized bird vets. My vet cleaned her up, put elastogel on her head, stapled it on, put a bonnet on her and we did water therapy. She grew back feathers and all. It took months but she was very much worth it. I hope everything works out for your kiddo.

 

[alinas2010]

How is your chicken? Hoping a boost can help this been seen by someone who has advice!

 

[mgcc]

How is your chicken? Hoping a boost can help this been seen by someone who has advice!

Thank you she’s doing okay. Still eating and drinking water. Now sleeping. I plan to take her to the vet tomorrow morning. Hopefully they can help me to figure out how to protect her neck until she heals up. Fingers crossed it all goes well!

 

[alinas2010]

Thank you she’s doing okay. Still eating and drinking water. Now sleeping. I plan to take her to the vet tomorrow morning. Hopefully they can help me to figure out how to protect her neck until she heals up. Fingers crossed it all goes well!

I’m glad you have a vet willing to see her, what a blessing. Prayers for her and for you, I know it’s hard on the caretaker, too

 

[mgcc]

Don't give aspirin. Otherwise you're doing fine, I think. Irrigating with saline is good. You can coat the wound with original Neosporin - it should NOT have pain reliever in it. Or spray with Veterycin. If she's eating, drinking, pooping and acting normal she should do well, just watch for flystrike. Chickens can heal from some amazing wounds! Good luck with her! And yes, the feathers will grow back.

Why not give aspirin? Is there anything else I can give for pain? Do you think its okay to spray Veterycin on her exposed tendons? Fortunately its winter in Albuquerque and there are no flies. So exciting to hear there is hope!!! Thank you so much. I may be able to sleep tonight after all

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you to everyone again for your input and help calming this mama chick down!
We went to see the vet and she is one lucky chick!! We scared the coyote right in time before he could do true damage. She does have exposed muscle and fat tissues, but no organs were punctured or injured. She should make a full recovery in a couple weeks, yay!
The vet recommended:
meloxicam for pain,
continue oral amox/clav for 2 weeks and
silver sulfadiazine cream to apply as needed to her wound.
She will be in isolation until her skin grows back to prevent other chickens from pecking at her wound.
I feel so relieved and full of hope. Chickens are truly resilient little birds and I adore their fluffy little butts!

Glad you were able to see the vet and have hopeful news!
Keep us posted on how she's doing.

That Coyote will be back so watch for him.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Here's what you do in the event of a predator attack to treat the survivor.

1. Treat for shock as the number one step. Give warm Gatoraid or mix a half teaspoon of sugar into a fourth of a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt and baking soda. Have the patient drink it all or syringe it into the beak.

2. Flush the wound well with saline. This is better than soap and water as it maintains the PH of the tissues. But warm soap and water will do. You need to wash away the bacteria from the wound.

3. Inspect the wound carefully. If it has a skin flap dangling, keep that. Do not cut it off. Look for bite, tear or puncture marks indicating a puncture wound. If you see this, the patient will need an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Bacteria from the predator’s mouth can be injected deep into tissue and can kill in as little as 24 to 48 hours. You can order this https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/250mg once a day for ten days. Or you may be able to find this or something similar at TSC or a pet store.

4. Spray with Vetericyn wound treament and let dry. Use a topical antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or a generic without pain killer in it to coat the wound. If there's a skin flap, lay it across the wound that has just been coated with the ointment. Then smooth on a generous amount over the top of the skin flap to hold it in place.

5. It's useless to try to stitch a wound on a chicken. Don't even try. It's also useless to try to bandage a wound other than on the feet. The chicken will not tolerate it. It will be pulled off faster than you can blink an eye.

6. Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

@azygous, this would make a wonderful article!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So... I'm probably going to be read the riot act for saying this. I'm no expert but ended up with a chicken that got her head stuck in a fence which scalped her. I took her to the vet and mind you, I don't live in an area where we have specialized bird vets. My vet cleaned her up, put elastogel on her head, stapled it on, put a bonnet on her and we did water therapy. She grew back feathers and all. It took months but she was very much worth it. I hope everything works out for your kiddo.

Why would you be read the riot act for that? It worked for you, so great. Glad your girl survived and healed well. Sounds like a raccoon might have got hold of her and tried to pull her through.

 

[alinas2010]

So... I'm probably going to be read the riot act for saying this. I'm no expert but ended up with a chicken that got her head stuck in a fence which scalped her. I took her to the vet and mind you, I don't live in an area where we have specialized bird vets. My vet cleaned her up, put elastogel on her head, stapled it on, put a bonnet on her and we did water therapy. She grew back feathers and all. It took months but she was very much worth it. I hope everything works out for your kiddo.

I agree with BigBlueHen, I think it’s wonderful that worked for you, and even better that a vet was able to help with care. If it were me I would always try to seek and trust vet care first if it’s an option. But for some people it’s just not due to costs or availability of a vet who treats poultry. The steps azygous listed are great and aimed more towards when people need to treat on their own, with no vet involved. I would trust a vet who has poultry experience to put staples in my hen if needed, but treating on my own I would follow azygous’s list. It all just depends on the circumstances. We’re all ultimately just trying to do what’s best for our flock I’m also glad your chicken survived, that sounds awful!

 

[alinas2010]

Post a pic of the injury if you can, helps other give advice! And I’m so sorry about your girl.