My chickens are free range and unfortunately, I had a stray dog kill four of my layers today. I have a fifth who is injured and I need to know whether or not to put her out of her suffering or if there is hope of recovery. She has a large wound on her back where the skin has been torn. It's about 3 inches long and it's impossible to close without stitches. I did the best I could to clean it out with warm water and I've applied EMT Gel that has worked well to heal gashes in my hunting dog, Sunny. Right now I have the hen separated, and she seems healthy in all other aspects. My concern is that this wound is not going to heal correctly and be susceptible to infections and such things. We do not have a vet in the area that treats chickens, nor do I think I would take a chicken to the vet if we did have one. Please do not judge me for this. Understand that these are farm animals and they serve a purpose here on our property as layers, never the less, I have no interest in seeing an animal suffer. If any of you have experience with such things I would love to hear some feedback and your honest assessment of her prognosis. If it seems that she should be put out of her suffering, I would rather take care of it now than later. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Cheers,
Seth
ps. All of my so called "flighty" birds (4 blue andalusians) escaped unscathed. They were found in various trees and such things around the property. I will not forget this as I add more hens to my flock.
Cheers,
Seth
ps. All of my so called "flighty" birds (4 blue andalusians) escaped unscathed. They were found in various trees and such things around the property. I will not forget this as I add more hens to my flock.