Found a gaping wound. Some advice would be appreciated. NSFW pic in post.

[StarfishPrime]

I was collecting eggs with our daughter yesterday when on our way out of the coop I noticed blood on one of our hens. Upon closer inspection I saw this:

I’m assuming she’s been aggressively pecked by another hen continually and I just never noticed.

I’ve quarantined her away from the flock, and she’s acting pretty normal (tough little girl). I was thinking to use a spray bottle to rinse the area with warm water to clean it out a bit. Should I get some ointment of some kind?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Perris]

have a look at this thread while we're waiting for one of the emergency care experts to chime in
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-supportive-care-updated-01-17-2021.1048620/

Perhaps one of @azygous @casportpony @coach723 @dawg53 @Eggcessive or @Wyorp Rock are around to help...?

I was collecting eggs with our daughter yesterday when on our way out of the coop I noticed blood on one of our hens. Upon closer inspection I saw this:

View attachment 3430139

I’m assuming she’s been aggressively pecked by another hen continually and I just never noticed.

I’ve quarantined her away from the flock, and she’s acting pretty normal (tough little girl). I was thinking to use a spray bottle to rinse the area with warm water to clean it out a bit. Should I get some ointment of some kind?

Thanks in advance.

 

[azygous]

You will need to do more than just spray the wound. Wound care involves commitment and hard work. Since you do not know how long since this wound has occurred, assume infection has already started. An oral antibiotic would be wise if you are in possession of one or order at the link I provide below. Here is my wound protocol:

1. Treat for shock as the number one step. Give warm Gatoraid or mix a half teaspoon of sugar into a fourth of a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt and baking soda. Have the patient drink it all or syringe it into the beak.

2. Flush the wound well with saline. This is better than soap and water as it maintains the PH of the tissues. But warm soap and water will do. You need to wash away the bacteria from the wound.

3. Inspect the wound carefully. If it has a skin flap dangling, keep that. Do not cut it off. Look for bite, tear or puncture marks indicating a puncture wound. If you see this, the patient will need an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Bacteria from the predator’s mouth can be injected deep into tissue and can kill in as little as 24 to 48 hours. You can order this https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/250mg once a day for ten days. Or you may be able to find this or something similar at TSC or a pet store.

4. Spray with Vetericyn wound treament and let dry. Use a topical antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or a generic without pain killer in it to coat the wound. If there's a skin flap, lay it across the wound that has just been coated with the ointment. Then smooth on a generous amount over the top of the skin flap to hold it in place.

5. It's useless to try to stitch a wound on a chicken. Don't even try. It's also useless to try to bandage a wound other than on the feet. The chicken will not tolerate it. It will be pulled off faster than you can blink an eye.

6. Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

 

[StarfishPrime]

You will need to do more than just spray the wound. Wound care involves commitment and hard work. Since you do not know how long since this wound has occurred, assume infection has already started. An oral antibiotic would be wise if you are in possession of one or order at the link I provide below. Here is my wound protocol:

1. Treat for shock as the number one step. Give warm Gatoraid or mix a half teaspoon of sugar into a fourth of a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt and baking soda. Have the patient drink it all or syringe it into the beak.

2. Flush the wound well with saline. This is better than soap and water as it maintains the PH of the tissues. But warm soap and water will do. You need to wash away the bacteria from the wound.

3. Inspect the wound carefully. If it has a skin flap dangling, keep that. Do not cut it off. Look for bite, tear or puncture marks indicating a puncture wound. If you see this, the patient will need an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Bacteria from the predator’s mouth can be injected deep into tissue and can kill in as little as 24 to 48 hours. You can order this https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/250mg once a day for ten days. Or you may be able to find this or something similar at TSC or a pet store.

4. Spray with Vetericyn wound treament and let dry. Use a topical antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or a generic without pain killer in it to coat the wound. If there's a skin flap, lay it across the wound that has just been coated with the ointment. Then smooth on a generous amount over the top of the skin flap to hold it in place.

5. It's useless to try to stitch a wound on a chicken. Don't even try. It's also useless to try to bandage a wound other than on the feet. The chicken will not tolerate it. It will be pulled off faster than you can blink an eye.

6. Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

Wow, thanks. At least I don’t have to worry about it being a predator bite. Our hens have been well confined indoors and no outside critters can get in. I’ll get on the advice right away!

 

[Sally PB]

Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

So if it gets a big crusty scab, that will not eventually slough off, like it would on a person?

 

[azygous]

If there is a big crusty scab initially, before cleaning the wound, that big crusty scab must be removed in order to clean out any bacteria trapped under it. It's called wound debriding and this is recommended by all vets in animal wound care.

Keeping the wound cleaned each day, and keeping the healing wound moist at all times with a antibacterial ointment will prevent a dry scab forming. What you want to see is new tissue growing inward from the outer edges of the wound toward the center. It will appear as a raised rim of new tissue, resembling a volcanic crater. This is called "granulation". It is not a scab.

We were taught as kids to leave the scab alone so the injury will heal. That is incorrect for large wounds. They, too, must be debrided so bacteria will not find haven under the scab. Tiny abrasions do not count. This is recommended for wounds covering a large area. They must be kept moist so new cells are able to grow.

In discussing wound care, I often relate my own experience with severe burns I incurred on my lower legs from knees to ankles. I was instructed to debride my legs every single day and to put on a burn ointment called Silvadene after using a rough wash cloth to remove every bit of dried tissue. It seems counter productive, but in one month, all new baby skin had grown over my burned legs. The purpose is to prevent bacteria from growing and hiding under scabs forming on the open wound. This in turn promotes the new formation of tissue over the wound.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a rooster with sharp spurs? If not, I would suspect a predator attack. Spraying saline or a wound spray on the wound, and then applying plain Neosporin ointment twice a day until healing would be what I would do. Saline is made by boiling a quart of water with 2 tsp of table salt. Put it in a clean spray bottle.