Chicken filleted her side under wing

[Shadrach]

My problem now is the hen (Mel) wants to dust bath if I let her outside.
I would have to vacuum her to get her clean.

 

[Loona]

My dentist gave me a chlorhexidine gluconate rinse to use when getting a dental implant.
It’s good stuff.
I didn’t know it was available on Amazon.

Chlorhexidine is truly an amazing wound cleanser and anti-infectant. I was reading the reviews on Amazon and concurred. Yeah, I see it's available as a mouth rinse, and it also in pet shampoo, bird cage cleaner and reptile cage cleaner and barn cleaner. There's another solution a bit stronger and one woman had an amazing story to tell about her diabetics husbands wounds that the hospital just couldn't treat but she nailed it with this stuff. Hibichlor 4%? But it's the 2% that is sublime. It's all around good for everything. I now clean my parakeet cage with it. I saw a video on YT where this guy was showing everyone how he cleans his coop. He said when its all cleaned out he fills up his sprayer w/a solution of CH 2% and sprays the entire coop, even around the run. Lets it all dry then puts down DE and bedding. I gave his video a thumbs up! Having chickens has really taught me quite a few things.

 

[Loona]

My problem now is the hen (Mel) wants to dust bath if I let her outside.
I would have to vacuum her to get her clean.

LOL, that's a good sign! Gives you something to clean off. I have a hen, Olga, that lived in the house for almost a year! I knew it was time to figure out how to re-acclimate her after she kept getting in the flower bed outside the front door to take bath. She'd come in and shake off all the dirt!

 

[Shadrach]

I don't use chemical coop cleaners, I use a blow torch. It's very quick and it kills everything, mite eggs,bacteria,lice.....
I didn't post this before, but you might like it. Towards the end of the thread is the hen I'm treating now.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-it-better-to-let-them-die.1268732/

 

[CannedMonster]

I’m all for using chlorhexidine as a wound cleanser and such but I draw the line at using it in a chicken coop lol.
I don’t feel the need to sanitize a chicken coop lol.
We’ve learned what happens when we try to live in a sterile environment and it’s not healthy.

 

[Loona]

Even if the skin is hanging? I put a bandage on to try to keep the skin from dragging on the ground, and her from
Picking at herself.

I agree, no bandage. That flap of skin is not going to fully make it. If you can make a stitch or two to make it stay up a little that's better, but a bandage isn't going to be helpful in the long run. Could hinder the healing process. I found the thinnest needle possible and used dental floss to make two stitches along one edge to keep it from dragging. The other side just wouldn't reach. It did come together in the stitched area where a scab formed. One stitch as time went on did come out. But the skin shrinks up.
I was absolutely miffed the vet didn't just do a little stitch in one area, but she said that's surgery.... I think there are other ways to put in a suture, but I just did it the old fashioned way.

You also might notice a pocket forming along the bottom where the skin flaps. You have to put solution in there to clean it out. If you don't notice a pocket, I didn't at first, keep your eye open for that. Use a paper towel to soak up excess solution. You can suck it out with a syringe or put your hand on the outside and push the excess fluid up and out. Dry it out as much as you can with a paper towel.

In a few days it may look nasty to you as the scab begins to form, but that is normal. It starts on the outside edges and works inward. Clean the edges gently and pat dry. Any sign of pus means you need to pay attn to cleaning that area more. I found it easier to just pour it on, and then just pat it all dry. I never used neosporin or any ointment. Only the CH solution. It's going to take a few weeks but everyday you'll see an improvement. A crusty sheen will develop and then scab over. That later turns into skin underneath. The routine of cleaning will prob take a few weeks. Best wishes to your hen.

 

[Loona]

I’m all for using chlorhexidine as a wound cleanser and such but I draw the line at using it in a chicken coop lol.
I don’t feel the need to sanitize a chicken coop lol.
We’ve learned what happens when we try to live in a sterile environment and it’s not healthy.

I'm not too keen about antibacterials either, as in hand soaps, household products etc., and Clorox is so toxic. But I'm very pleased to have discovered this stuff. It's literally a lifesaver for wound cleaning and has so many applications. Plus there is no fume or smell to it, which is another reason I just love it and will always keep some on hand.

 

[HeidiN]

So I took the bandage off of Chai, our patient, and have been spraying with chlorhexidine several Times a day. She’s separated in garage and very lonely.
Her jagged wing feathers seem to be digging into the wound a bit causing some minor bleeding. Someone recommended AluShield spray bandage. I’m wondering if that would help close off the raw flesh and protect it a little more. But then it would prevent the chlorhexidine from getting to the injured tissue. Thoughts? I cannot get those feathers out of the wound without reopening everything.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any updated pictures of her wound? Chlorhexidene or other antibacterials probably only need to be used twice a day. Vetericyn is usedul twice a day.Oops, just saw the latest picture.
I don’t think the Alushield would be good for such a deep involved wound. It is used every 3 days after disinfecting the wound. Here is a link about it:
http://animalsafety.neogen.com/pdf/prodinfo/79100.pdf

I have a bottle somewhere that I haven’t used, but would use it more on scrapes or minor cuts. If you could expose her to her flock members in a dog crate with food and water every day, that would really help. Some people have used baby tshirts or you could make a shirt for her to keep dirt out of her wounds, especially if she spends some time with her friends outside.

 

[CannedMonster]

View attachment 1530953 So I took the bandage off of Chai, our patient, and have been spraying with chlorhexidine several Times a day. She’s separated in garage and very lonely.
Her jagged wing feathers seem to be digging into the wound a bit causing some minor bleeding. Someone recommended AluShield spray bandage. I’m wondering if that would help close off the raw flesh and protect it a little more. But then it would prevent the chlorhexidine from getting to the injured tissue. Thoughts? I cannot get those feathers out of the wound without reopening everything.

Are those feathers stuck in the wound?
In the middle there?
You need to get those out of there, if so.
I had to pull some out of Agatha’s wound and I also had to cut a strip of dead flesh off that was connected to the edge of it.
She actually didn’t really react to anything we were doing during this.
My DH held her for me.
My vet told me it was very important to do that because it can cause infection and it makes it harder for the wound to begin healing.
I sprayed the wound twice a day for a week and then it was scabbed over and I let her out with the flock since they couldn’t see the injury to peck it.