First run in with a hawk

[smitty750]

I let the 12 chickens out today to roam and do what chickens do, it's 55 today and sunny something we haven't seen for months. I hear some loud noises and look out to see a red tail on top of my SLW, I instinctively removed my shoe and threw it at the hawk scaring it off. Chicken laid on ube ground stunned and in shock I picked her up brought her inside and began to inspect the damage. I looked everywhere which is no easy task, feathers are a lot more dense then they look, layer upon layer lol. All I could seem to find was a pretty decent gash on the top of her back that was bleeding but not too bad and a clean cut of her skin where her thigh and body meet a very taught area of skin but it was not bleeding. I noticed that some feathers were pushed into the wound so I removed them with tweezers and then irrigated with vetricyn. I cleaned out and irrigated the wound on her back as well with vetricyn and checked again for anything else I may have missed. I didn't think that leaving open wounds was a good idea so I glue sutured the skin together with gauze and glue like a butterfly, was this a good idea? Or should I have left it open to "air out"? I didn't want an infection to set into an open wound and figured anytime I've cut myself like that they've always stitched me up. She's in a brooder on her own in the basement were its quiet. Did I do the right thing?

 

[1muttsfan]

Sounds to me like you did just fine

 

[smitty750]

Thanks sometimes you just need a little reassurance lol. I'm assuming its normal for her to be extremely docile and just sort of sitting still after an event like this. Shock I'm assuming.

 

[Honey B]

Hawk claws are full of bacteria. It is important to really clean the wound well before closing it up. It sounds like you did a good job, hope your chicken heals quickly.