First aid for a skin laceration/wound? Just interrupted a hawk attack!

[hyzenthlay]

My Polish hen has about a 1 inch tear in her skin along the jawline--picture below. When she stretches her neck out the skin pulls apart and you can see the muscle layer beneath the skin, but from this picture you can see that the skin almost touches when she is resting. I sprayed it with veterycin, and I brought her inside with some food and water (with the electrolyte and vitamin powder from when she was a chick), but I'm not sure what else I should do.

I have vet wrap, but I don't think that'll help much because of the location of the wound. Does she need stitches? I don't have bluekote. If/when she seems stable enough, I can move her back out to the coop in an isolation pen so that she can see her friends but they can't peck at her, but I'm afraid to do that now while she has an open wound, since it could get much dirtier out there. She seems alert but shaken. I put regular crumbles, some scratch, and some dried mealworms in the bowl for her. She looked at them but did not eat or drink right away (she may have touched them after I left, not sure).





I was looking out my window and saw the hawk swoop past in a flash. The hens were right near the house, and all scattered. I ran out to do a head count, and saw her laying on the ground with the hawk at her head. I chased the F***er off, and my hen just laid there--I thought she was dead. After about a minute I noticed she was still breathing, and when I went closer to inspect she jumped up and ran off. After I got everyone in the coop I brought her inside. I looked her all over, and other than one tail feather pulled out, the laceration by her face seems to be the only harm....

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your chicken. The Vetericyn is probably best to use. I also like bacitracin or plain Neosporin ointment. If you have room in the coop for a dog crate, I would keep her with her flock, but separated with food and water to prevent pecking the wound. If she is separated out of sight for more than a few days, they may peck her when she is put back.

 

[hyzenthlay]

Thank you, Eggcessive!! I will look and see if I have some bacitracin/neosporin ointment without painkiller to put on the wound. I do have a little dog pen set up in the coop now (I had put it in there to integrate my last group of chicks, and never got around to taking it out), so I can put her out there in a day or two. I'm thinking I should probably wait long enough to ensure that the wound is closing before putting her back outside, where it is much more likely to get dirty and maybe infected. I hadn't thought of the possibility of the flock not accepting her back after a few days--I'll try to keep her stay inside as short as possible.... Thanks again!!

 

[Eggcessive]

That sounds good, and what I would do.