Crusty chicken neck wound - continued care?

hforan

Hatching
Nov 1, 2022
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One of our flock got attacked three days ago and I found her in the woods with several wounds all around her neck. She's a silkie, so I cleaned out her wounds, but she has many fluffy feathers and I'm not sure that I cut them back well enough to clean thoroughly. She has had a really sticky mucus in her beak which for awhile was kind of drooling on her feathers, so we've been clearing that out little by little and giving her electrolytes. I've been spraying the wounds with vetermycin.

It was **very** touch and go for several days and we didn't think she'd make it, but she's perked up and is walking around and drinking on her own. However, her neck is really crusty because of the mucus/drool and the wound healing and it looks like the crust is keeping her from lengthening her neck out. She has started trying to move her head around like she's trying to lengthen it but can't. The mucus is finally starting to clear up.

My question is: what does continued wound care look like for her? Should I be more aggressively cleaning or irrigating her neck, or now that she has scabbing letting her body do its thing even if its causing some neck contortion?

She also still isn't eating - we've tried egg mixed with some yogurt and some pumpkin but haven't wanted to try too much because of the mucus. Do people have other suggestions for feeding her - both what to feed her and how?
 
It's very important to get her to eat, can you try giving her raw yolk to see if she'll eat it? And some grubs or meal worms? I've also read that a little bit of cat food or tuna is appetizing to hens.

When my hens weren't eating I would make a soft scramble and then open the beak with one hand and pop the scrambled egg in with the other hand, after force feeding like that a couple of times the hens would start eating on their own.

Try to clean off the mucus off her feathers off her neck and then dry her well. Can you post pictures of her wound?
 
One of our flock got attacked three days ago and I found her in the woods with several wounds all around her neck. She's a silkie, so I cleaned out her wounds, but she has many fluffy feathers and I'm not sure that I cut them back well enough to clean thoroughly. She has had a really sticky mucus in her beak which for awhile was kind of drooling on her feathers, so we've been clearing that out little by little and giving her electrolytes. I've been spraying the wounds with vetermycin.

It was **very** touch and go for several days and we didn't think she'd make it, but she's perked up and is walking around and drinking on her own. However, her neck is really crusty because of the mucus/drool and the wound healing and it looks like the crust is keeping her from lengthening her neck out. She has started trying to move her head around like she's trying to lengthen it but can't. The mucus is finally starting to clear up.

My question is: what does continued wound care look like for her? Should I be more aggressively cleaning or irrigating her neck, or now that she has scabbing letting her body do its thing even if its causing some neck contortion?

She also still isn't eating - we've tried egg mixed with some yogurt and some pumpkin but haven't wanted to try too much because of the mucus. Do people have other suggestions for feeding her - both what to feed her and how?
Welcome To BYC

She has a neck contortion. Hard to visualize what's going on. Can you please post photo of her wounds, the inside of her beak and her poop.
Thank You!

Is she still drooling or is there still mucous coming from her beak?

What does her crop feel like?

Walking around and being able to drink on her own is a good start. I'd work on hydration, get some electrolytes into her. Offer wet soupy feed to see if she can eat some of that on her own.

Hopefully once we get photos, we can make better suggestions.
 
Welcome To BYC

She has a neck contortion. Hard to visualize what's going on. Can you please post photo of her wounds, the inside of her beak and her poop.
Thank You!

Is she still drooling or is there still mucous coming from her beak?

What does her crop feel like?

Walking around and being able to drink on her own is a good start. I'd work on hydration, get some electrolytes into her. Offer wet soupy feed to see if she can eat some of that on her own.

Hopefully once we get photos, we can make better suggestions.

my chickens were attack by a predator 2-3 days back by the time I got out 2 were dying , and the rest was safe, one was gone . being newbie I did not check any wounds , the day after , when I came back to coop I found one was on ground thought it was dead .. but it had little life in it, the I thought I need to cull here when I took her to slaughter I see she was standing and walking i thought maybe I can help .. starting applying triple antibiotic cream, peroxide, ( currently got

Vetericyn), She is still alive but do not feed herself, and I keep feeding her electrylideds, and egg yolk + yogurt, and a bit aspirin. Unfortunately she is not getting better , her eyes are now closed, barely standing and mucus is coming out of her beak.. my guess is that she is septic and in need of antibiotics but I do not have anything at hand order online will be here in 3 days , any suggestion ?​

 
my chickens were attack by a predator 2-3 days back by the time I got out 2 were dying , and the rest was safe, one was gone . being newbie I did not check any wounds , the day after , when I came back to coop I found one was on ground thought it was dead .. but it had little life in it, the I thought I need to cull here when I took her to slaughter I see she was standing and walking i thought maybe I can help .. starting applying triple antibiotic cream, peroxide, ( currently got

Vetericyn), She is still alive but do not feed herself, and I keep feeding her electrylideds, and egg yolk + yogurt, and a bit aspirin. Unfortunately she is not getting better , her eyes are now closed, barely standing and mucus is coming out of her beak.. my guess is that she is septic and in need of antibiotics but I do not have anything at hand order online will be here in 3 days , any suggestion ?​

I'm sorry about your hen.
I have replied on your thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chiken-back-side-neck-wound.1556828/
 

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