Chicken has open wound and flap of loose skin on neck

[SweetTea&Chicks]

I walk outside to get the girls water and I notice my Easter egger has a strip of skin flapping on her neck. I have no clue how it happened; my best guess is she got caught on something. She’s acting completely normal; not lethargic and she’s drinking and eating fine. Even running away when I kept trying to grab her. I sprayed vetericyn on it before the picture so that’s why it looks a little runny. I sprayed blu kote on after. It’s like there’s a layer of fat or something protecting her throat. Is there anything else I can do to help her?

 

[Eggcessive]

Is a vet an option? Could she have been attacked by a hawk? Her crop in her right upper chest could have been opened or damaged. If that happens, her food and water will leak out of her. Her esophagus (food tube) is connected to the crop and connects the crop to her beak. Can you get another pair of hands and look for any damage to those organs? Is she having any trouble breathing? The trachea or airway is in front of the airway and is covered by protective cartilage.

Watch for any leakage of water on her chest. Use the Vetericyn, not the BluKote, and keep her separated from the other chickens in a crate or pen. Keep her from flies. Chlorhexidene 2% is also a good disinfectant that can be sprayed on the wound, especially if there is any bad odor or infection.

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

Thank you so much! I’ll have an update tomorrow

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

Is a vet an option? Could she have been attacked by a hawk? Her crop in her right upper chest could have been opened or damaged. If that happens, her food and water will leak out of her. Her esophagus (food tube) is connected to the crop and connects the crop to her beak. Can you get another pair of hands and look for any damage to those organs? Is she having any trouble breathing? The trachea or airway is in front of the airway and is covered by protective cartilage.

Watch for any leakage of water on her chest. Use the Vetericyn, not the BluKote, and keep her separated from the other chickens in a crate or pen. Keep her from flies. Chlorhexidene 2% is also a good disinfectant that can be sprayed on the wound, especially if there is any bad odor or infection.

She’s still active. Eating, drinking and acting normal. The flap of skin appears swollen. We didn’t see any damage to her crop or other organs. We have her separated. The vet isn’t an option. Still spraying it with Vetericyn but we can order Chlorhexidene 2%. Any other advice? We might just have to see how this plays out. :/

 

[Eggcessive]

I am not a vet. In the early stages it may have been best to get it stitched up, or superglued, but at this point, I am not sure what advice to give you. Does it look like this will close up or come together? We always appreciate pictures of wounds here, and more people can offer help.

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

I am not a vet. In the early stages it may have been best to get it stitched up, or superglued, but at this point, I am not sure what advice to give you. Does it look like this will close up or come together? We always appreciate pictures of wounds here, and more people can offer help.

Sorry for the lock of photos she doesn't like to stay still and I can't get better ones until my extra help comes back. But I will post some extra ones from yesterday. If we closed it up I'm scared it will get infected but that seems like the best available option. What glue do you recommend and a way to clean it?

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

It’s hard to tell but it is a flap of skin and not just a cut. I guess my title for the thread wasn’t that accurate. Oops

 

[Kusanar]

Looking at the bottom, it looks like you already have some dirt or tissue death going on there. Either way I don't think I would close it. If anything, if it is just skin, I might actually try to remove the flap so it's just a wound and let it heal from there.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

You could try Supergluing it. At my county fair, some idiot stabbed a rabbit and the owner Superglued it and the rabbit was all right.

 

[SweetTea&Chicks]

Looking at the bottom, it looks like you already have some dirt or tissue death going on there. Either way I don't think I would close it. If anything, if it is just skin, I might actually try to remove the flap so it's just a wound and let it heal from there.

Thank you. I’m going to discuss these options over with my brother and see what he thinks the best option would be. He’s more experienced than me. I’ll keep posting updates in case anyone else is interested in the outcome.