DIY recipe spray to replace veterycin spray?

[Chubbicthe2nd]

I'm way out in the country with three small toddlers, and my husband is gone on a business trip. I have a wounded chicken. I've washed her and salt water and applied triple antibiotic ointment to her wound, but I want something to spray on it regularly. She's away from the others in her own little pen right now recovering. I don't know what wounded her so bad in the back, maybe a hawk or a coyote.

Anyway, can I make my own first aid spray? I have spray bottles, salt, water, tea tree oil, bleach, povidone iodine (Betadine), dish soap. Unfortunately the only antibiotic I have is in ointment form. I saw the poultry version of Veterycin is mostly water, salt, some stabilizers, and hypochlorous acid. I don't have the acid. Is there something I can make that would at least be somewhat effective as opposed to nothing?

 

[coach723]

If you have plain triple antibiotic ointment, or plain neosporin ointment you can use those to apply to wounds to help keep them covered and moist. You can also use honey. Don't use bleach. Something that keeps the wound moist is best. Veterycin is good for cleaning, but doesn't maintain the moisture as well as ointments. I would use that if you need to do any further cleaning of wounds, otherwise I would just reapply the ointment several times a day, as needed, to keep them covered in the ointment. Pictures of wounds are helpful.

 

[FunClucks]

What you've already done sounds fine to me. I'd just keep applying the ointment every day or so. I don't think you need an additional spray.

I raise meat birds. We had a stint where they were bad about getting cut up by rooster spurs without me noticing. We're talking several inches long gashes down their sides through to the muscle, at various stages of healing / re-injuring, with a variety of mud in the partially healed scabs. And they were walking around like nothing was wrong. The injuries were not easily visible, but were hidden under their wings. I was aghast when I discovered this.

For half the chickens, the scabs looked awful but seemed to be healing well, except for the re-injured parts, so I just put chicken saddles on them, put the roos in another run, and left the hens alone. They healed up fine, with eventually no evidence of ever having been injured. For some of the chickens, I did try and clean the wound, and put some ointment, but they healed up just as good as the other chickens. I'm not convinced the antibiotic ointment was even necessary. I wanted to spray with Vetericyn, but I'd misplaced my bottle. Not one of the chickens required whole-system antibiotic to treat infection. I am continually amazed at their ability to recover from things like this.

 

[Eggcessive]

Salt water is fine, but it needs to be mixed to match the body’s pH. Normal saline is 2 tsp of salt per quart or liter of water, or 1/2 tsp salt per 8 ounce cup. If there is infection in it you can use weak Betadine. Then cover in triple antibiotic/neosporin ointment.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We had a hen with a serious wound from a dog attack. We sprayed her wound twice daily with sterile saline solution, gently blotted her dry, then coated her with Neosporin Original (had no pain reliever). She healed up just fine, quite to our amazement.

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate all of this.