Chicken was attacked

KSPCALI22

Hatching
Feb 18, 2021
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So I had just put my chickens in a large dog kennel yesterday because I needed to separate some out from the coop. They had everything they needed, (like water, feed, etc) but when I came out this morning one was laying in the nesting box, her leg extended out and kind of laying limp. I didn't think much of it until I took a closer look and noticed her leg was bleeding, and then upon further inspection it had actually been ripped down to the bone and most of the muscle was gone. She was awake but she kept wanting to close her eyes. I noticed there was blood around the kennel and one specific spot on the outside where we think something tried to reach in and grab her, there was also tons of feathers everywhere. We then took her inside so we could look at it some more. She can't feel anything in her leg and she has been laying down all morning. We finally got her to eat some and drink but she still has no feeling in her leg. Whenever we pick her up her leg will go limp and just kind of dangle. We looked into amputating her leg some but we can't afford that and she seems perfectly healthy now? What do I do? Do I clean the leg? Can they heal from something like that? Do you think her leg will ever gain feeling again?
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The leg needs to be clean or infection will kill her. I recommend a stertile saline. @Wyorp Rock what do you think? It is possible, maybe likley that she will need an amputation.
EDIT: be sure to keep her hydrated, nutri drench would be great
 
Ooh, that's bad. My consolations. :hugs
As long as it doesn't get infected, she should live. It's possible you can amputate the leg yourself.
The leg needs to be clean or infection will kill her. I recommend a stertile saline. @Wyorp Rock what do you think? It is possible, maybe likley that she will need an amputation.
EDIT: be sure to keep her hydrated, nutri drench would be great
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The leg needs to be clean or infection will kill her. I recommend a stertile saline. @Wyorp Rock what do you think? It is possible, maybe likley that she will need an amputation.
EDIT: be sure to keep her hydrated, nutri drench would be great
Thank you, we have cleaned it and have made sure she is getting enough to drink and we are trying to get ahold of the vet.
 
There's a lot of bone exposed. She may heal but hard to know, if the leg seems lifeless the damage may be too great for it to heal properly - just a guess.

Amputation may be an option, but be prepared for a vet bill and to give her long term care if she's unable to adapt.

My first reaction to this injury is to cull her since so much is exposed. I'm sorry.

If you have not got to that point yet, then cleaning the leg with chlorhexidine would be good, it may be tricky to apply a triple antibiotic ointment to that wound, so something like Vetericyn spray may be better, until you can make a decision. Keep her caged on clean puppy pads. Antibiotics would be also be a must, imho.

I'm really sorry about your hen.

If you have others caged where the predator has the same access, then try to take steps to protect them - whatever got a hold of her will be back.
 
I’d put the bird down. Yes she might survive with one leg and $$$$ later but at some point the money would be better spent on traps to catch and kill the raccoon or whatever tried to chew her leg off.
 
That's a candidate for cell migration.. It's long and drawn out, but you may not have to amputate.. just be warned it takes a lot of time from start to finish, but it is doable.

Cell migration is advisable when there is a gaping wound with no hope of stitching together. This can even be as serious as having an entire muscle exposed with no way to cover it with the bird’s own skin.
Make sure the wound is as clean and free from debris as possible. Do not use Peroxide on an open wound – it does strange things to exposed tissue. Next apply (slather is a better term), copious amounts of a triple antibiotic type of ointment such as Neosporin to the entire open wound. Make sure there is no exposure to the air by any part of the wound.
Cover the open wound with a non-stick bandage pad (it may take more than one, depending on the size of the wound). Securely tape the bandages in place with either a white surgical tape, or any other type of tape that you know the bird is unlikely to be able to remove. It is sometimes helpful to wrap the tape around the entire body in order to secure it.
This dressing should be changed daily, and every time you do, you need to inspect the wound for hardening off (crusty areas). It may appear as an almost translucent gold colored crust at first. You should remove this very gently. (I know – gross.) But this is essential. And definitely don’t allow any real scabs to form over the wound area.
The healing process is going to take a long time, so decide before you begin, whether or not you’re willing to spend this much time with this bird.
 
If you can't seek veterinary assistance please put that girl down and end her suffering. She's not perfectly healthy, birds tend to hide their pain and illness as a survival technique.
 

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