Chicken neck attack!! Help!

[NancyNurseCxMama]

She might be relaxing?
Is she eating?
There may be an issue with either infection/necrotic tissue/fluid buildup confined in the sutured area. Her little chest cavity may be full of unwanted stuff. My concern is that the sutures may be holding junk in there instead of aiding healing.
Are the wound edges actually starting to join together or are the sutures just sort of holding it together without any healing taking place?
How long was it from the time she got the wound until the time it was sutured?
So difficult to assess from here.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Is it advisable for her to try to drain the spot a larger gauge needle/syringe to see if it is fluid? I know that is what my mom has done with several stubborn abscesses on horses. Yes, I know horses are not chickens.

BTW, been lurking for a while. Great job on keeping this girl alive!

 

[Anabariful]

She might be relaxing?
Is she eating?
There may be an issue with either infection/necrotic tissue/fluid buildup confined in the sutured area. Her little chest cavity may be full of unwanted stuff. My concern is that the sutures may be holding junk in there instead of aiding healing.
Are the wound edges actually starting to join together or are the sutures just sort of holding it together without any healing taking place?
How long was it from the time she got the wound until the time it was sutured?
So difficult to assess from here.

I know in the deepest part of the laceration, it's just holding it together. It hasn't formed together yet but it was pretty deep so I imagine it's going to take a bit more time. I'll have to check the other areas.

She went missing Wednesday evening and I found her Thursday morning so the attack happened some time in there. She was stitched up Friday night.

ETA: I saw her eating last night but not yet this morning. She doesn't appear to gasping or acting like there's any pressure to her chest. Not sure if gasping would be a sign?

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Okay---the odds are the wound edges are not going to approximate (join together). There was too much time between when she was wounded and when the suturing was done.
The edges of the wound were most likely dry and those edges would not be able to knit together and heal. By suturing what may have happened is that the cavity that is covered is now holding fluid, debris, and bacteria like a pocket.
This is just a guess here---if you feel she is doing okay you might want to wait. If not, you might want to snip a few of your sutures (if they are individually placed) and see if there is any drainage.
Ugh---I wish I could see little Gretchen in person!! I would hate to steer you wrong but I simply am not sure what's going on here.
As far as eating, try giving her something really tasty (scrambled eggs, mealworms) and see if she has more interest in that.
@casportpony @Eggcessive and other more experienced chicken folks out there?
Ideas, please?
I know wounds in general but there are many many here who know chicken care much better than I do!

 

[Rob Tof]

I know for humans basic rule is after 8 hours they cut back a small amount of skin so the skin can heal together. I'm sure it almost the same for animals.

 

[casportpony]

Did you get a baseline weight on her? If not, go to the store now, get a kitchen scale and weigh her.

This level wound care is not well documented on web, and this is when we (BYC members) could really benefit from the advice of a vet. I've been present for many horses and cats being sutured, and it has always involved lots of flushing, creating "margins" (shaving hair away from wound edges), cleaning with betadine or chlorhexadine, dead tissue removal, removal of debris, and antibiotics. In horses, many times the wound is not sutured, it's just managed as an open wound.

 

[WVduckchick]

I wish I had some helpful advice, but I'm here praying for Gretchen!

 

[casportpony]

The yellow/orange tinted skin feels really firm but not hot or seeping. What does that mean? Is it bruising or something else?

Chicken pus isn't like mammal pus, it's gets firm, like cheese.

 

[casportpony]

Is it advisable for her to try to drain the spot a larger gauge needle/syringe to see if it is fluid? I know that is what my mom has done with several stubborn abscesses on horses. Yes, I know horses are not chickens.

BTW, been lurking for a while. Great job on keeping this girl alive!

It's a great suggestion, but abscesses on chickens cannot be lanced and drained like they can be on mammals. see my previous post.

 

[casportpony]

If the skin edges where the yellow stuff is have not joined, I think I might want to open it a little and see if there is pus in there.