Chicken with skull! **GORY PICS**

[Chooks and Chicks]

Hey, I have a hen (her name is pilgrim.) About 3 days ago she got stuck in the skunk trap, it closed on her and gave her a cut on her head then This morning I came to open the coop and she was in the corner. I picked her up and most of her skull was exposed. I think a chicken poked it a lot because it's bad. She is eating,drinking(probioticwater) and walking. And we put scarlet oil on it and she is warm and inside. Please help my baby chook....

 

[Shadrach]

Hey, I have a hen (her name is pilgrim.) About 3 days ago she got stuck in the skunk trap, it closed on her and gave her a cut on her head then This morning I came to open the coop and she was in the corner. I picked her up and most of her skull was exposed. I think a chicken poked it a lot because it's bad. She is eating,drinking(probioticwater) and walking. And we put scarlet oil on it and she is warm and inside. Please help my baby chook....View attachment 1546480 View attachment 1546480 View attachment 1546480

Oh dear.Poor girl looks in a bad way.
First option is to take her to a vet.
This may not be possible for you (?)
The wound needs to be cleaned, carfully. I expect that wound is very painfull.
You need to cut the feathers around the wound so they don't make contact with the wound. Dont cut them very short, just so they don't droop into the wound.
I have no idea what cleansing stuff you have or how easy it is for you to get such things.
If all else fails you can buy a mouthwash with Chlorhexidine in it at your local Pharmacy.
This is antiseptic and anti bacterial and works very well.
It is not practicla to bandage such a wound.
In the event of not being able to get her to a vet then for wounds like this on the chickens here, I coat them with Stockholm Hoof Tar. No it isn't the ideal but it's saved the lives of a number of chickens here.
Read the article then you will understand why I suggest this method of dealing with such a wound.

Here is a link to an article explaining a bit about Stockholme Hoof Tar.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...s-and-injuries-with-stockholm-hoof-tar.74400/
I suggest you try to get some antibiotics and commence a course as soon as possible.
It's infection that is the real danger given she's survived the shock.
Also try to get a product called Metacam. It's a painkiller basically.
Metacam comes with a syringe for oral application normally.
There are graduations on the syringe. Give two graduations worth of Metacam once a day.
Most chemists here can supply it.

Do at least try to get her to a vet!

 

[Saaniya]

@staceyj
@KikisGirls
@Eggcessive

 

[Saaniya]

If she's alive and moving eating I will not give up on her
First clean her wound with cold water and apply vetericyn
Keep the wound clean and dry while the bird recovers. I use Vetericynwound spray two to three times a day until the bird has healed, but you can substitute a triple antibiotic ointment. Watch for signs of infection, such as swelling and redness in the area


And give her multi-vitamins and boiled eggs chicken wounds heal up fast if u care right she will back in life again

 

[Birdinhand]

being so close to the eyes, I'm tempted to say just separate her (for probably a month minimum) and let her be and see how it goes. chickens are amazingly resilient when it comes to wound healing, it's possible this will mend on it's own, if it doesn't, she may need to be put down at some point. it looks clean at this point so it's feed a high protein feed and let her body do the healing.

 

[staceyj]

So very sorry for your bird’s injuries!
@Shadrach gave you good suggestions.

Although scalping injuries are hideous to see, many birds DO recover from them.

I will just add a few things.

Please keep the bird indoors to prevent FLYSTRIKE, or further injuries from flockmates.

Clean the wound gently but thoroughly daily -if you don’t have medical scrubbing solution or washes, you can use liquid dish soap and apply an antibiotic ointment or something similar with your clean fingertips.

Provide ample protein in its diet and lots of hydration.

 

[Chooks and Chicks]

Oh dear.Poor girl looks in a bad way.
First option is to take her to a vet.
This may not be possible for you (?)
The wound needs to be cleaned, carfully. I expect that wound is very painfull.
You need to cut the feathers around the wound so they don't make contact with the wound. Dont cut them very short, just so they don't droop into the wound.
I have no idea what cleansing stuff you have or how easy it is for you to get such things.
If all else fails you can buy a mouthwash with Chlorhexidine in it at your local Pharmacy.
This is antiseptic and anti bacterial and works very well.
It is not practicla to bandage such a wound.
In the event of not being able to get her to a vet then for wounds like this on the chickens here, I coat them with Stockholm Hoof Tar. No it isn't the ideal but it's saved the lives of a number of chickens here.
Read the article then you will understand why I suggest this method of dealing with such a wound.

Here is a link to an article explaining a bit about Stockholme Hoof Tar.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...s-and-injuries-with-stockholm-hoof-tar.74400/
I suggest you try to get some antibiotics and commence a course as soon as possible.
It's infection that is the real danger given she's survived the shock.
Also try to get a product called Metacam. It's a painkiller basically.
Metacam comes with a syringe for oral application normally.
There are graduations on the syringe. Give two graduations worth of Metacam once a day.
Most chemists here can supply it.

Do at least try to get her to a vet!

Aww thanks so much for the info. She is doing much better today. But she has some sort of tendon that moves when she eats. I dont know what to do about that. If you have any info about that please tell me.

 

[staceyj]

Aww thanks so much for the info. She is doing much better today. But she has some sort of tendon that moves when she eats. I dont know what to do about that. If you have any info about that please tell me.

Could you get a picture or video of this while I call for some help?

If you post a video it has to go through a secondary site first... like you tube etc. then post a link to it here.
@KikisGirls @casportpony @Eggcessive
Could you help @Chooks and Chicks out here?

 

[Kiki]

Aww thanks so much for the info. She is doing much better today. But she has some sort of tendon that moves when she eats. I dont know what to do about that. If you have any info about that please tell me.

Where is this movement?
Keeping her indoors away from the flock and flies is best.

 

[Shadrach]

Aww thanks so much for the info. She is doing much better today. But she has some sort of tendon that moves when she eats. I dont know what to do about that. If you have any info about that please tell me.

Good question. I don't know the answer.
I've had a look at my muscle diagram of a chicken and it doesn't show a tendon....doesn't show many tendons in fact
I've used the tar to cover neck tendons and wing tendons but they are quite strong and moved inside the tar.
Pictures might help but the problem is I think the tar may be strong enough to restrict a very small tendons movement.
I'll have a think.....