Fox attacked by Chicken - do I crate her, or put her out?

[336White Phoenix]

I'd keep here in for a week and if she doesn't get worse then let her out

Btw if u haven't got the fox already keep an eye out and ONLY IF ur aloud to shoot fox in ur area then carry a gun and if u see him/her u know what to do cause ones a fox knows there food then they'll come back

 

[Bird momma of 5]

Well, she has pecked - scratched off her bandage. Should we leave it off and let her be? My husband thinks it needs to be covered, however everything we try, she gets off of her.

keeping her "locked up" will be difficult. Except for the wounds, she acts the same. As for that fox, thank you. The other 3 chickens are in lock down as well and guns are locked and loaded.

 

[Trish1974]

Good job sewing her up! I've been in your shoes, but my EE's wounds were just puncture wounds, I did not have to stitch her up. Personally, I would keep the wounds uncovered so the air can hit it and help it heal. Covering it could keep it moist, plus you'll want to watch those wounds constantly to make sure no infection starts in. I would keep her confined at least 5 more days. My hen was barebacked from her attack as well, though she never picked at her wounds. This is what she looked like when I caught her:

And just a few months later:

 

[Trish1974]

BTW, I put her on a high protein feather-fixer feed to help regrow the feathers and gave her high protein treats of BOSS, scrambled eggs and meal worms. Come to think of it that second picture was only like 6 weeks after her attack. I cannot believe how quickly her feathers grew back, especially that gorgeous tail.

 

[kwhites634]

Well, she has pecked - scratched off her bandage. Should we leave it off and let her be? My husband thinks it needs to be covered, however everything we try, she gets off of her.

keeping her "locked up" will be difficult. Except for the wounds, she acts the same. As for that fox, thank you. The other 3 chickens are in lock down as well and guns are locked and loaded.

Your title said the fox was attacked by your chicken
Good thing you were there to help her.
Yeah, I'd leave the wounds open to the air; they should heal better. Fortunately for her & you, chickens heal up pretty quickly.
I grew up in PG County, btw.

 

[Tesumph]

She actually doesn’t look too bad, all things considered.
What did you use to suture her wounds? I would be concerned that you’ve closed in infection, generally with dirty bite wounds it’s best to let them heal from the inside out. Have you been keeping up with the cleaning once or twice daily?

You are in the early stages still and the possibility of this turning into a nasty infection is very high. I would look into sugar wrapping, or applying medical grade honey to keep the wound moist and clean.
Do you have a vet that will see her if you need antibiotics in the future?

 

[Pugsabi]

If you are putting ointment make sure it's unmedicated. You could use just a smidgeon of Vaseline.

 

[bobbi-j]

I would consider putting Blu Kote on those wounds. It’s an antiseptic spray. Is your coop big enough and well ventilated enough for you to either section off an area for her or put her in a wire dog crate for a couple of days? It may be less stressful for her to be where she can see the rest of the flock. (If she’s eating, drinking and getting around OK, I’d even consider just putting her in with the rest of the flock.)

 

[Nuffy]

She actually doesn’t look too bad, all things considered.
What did you use to suture her wounds? I would be concerned that you’ve closed in infection, generally with dirty bite wounds it’s best to let them heal from the inside out. Have you been keeping up with the cleaning once or twice daily?

You are in the early stages still and the possibility of this turning into a nasty infection is very high. I would look into sugar wrapping, or applying medical grade honey to keep the wound moist and clean.
Do you have a vet that will see her if you need antibiotics in the future?

She looks very alert in the photos, that's good. She may not like being crated but she needs a clean environment. After you see healing she can be moved out. Use a 10% Bernadine solution to clean that is one part iodine to 10 parts water. Gentley dab on, if you feel comfortable and the neospone has a long tip carefully insert into the puncture wounds and squeeze some in it will give you an idea how deep they are. Keeping the wounds clean and the skin moist are the best way. Honey Is used in Europe for wound care and is a good option. On Monday see if you can get a better alternative to neospone. She will get better and be laying before you know it.

 

[PhantomChikkinz]

Stitching her up? That’s awesome!

Really, the only thing you need to worry about at this point is infection. She’s gonna mess with the wound no matter what you do, and it’s really frustrating. If you can keep it clean, she’ll be fine in no time. I recommend doing a smell test every time you treat the wounds. If they don’t stink, she’s good.

I have a particularly feisty MGB who has fought off TWO hawk attacks. The second one tore her entire front open, and there was just no skin there at all. Meat just hanging out. She looked like a zombie chicken from a horror movie. I was losing my mind, because I love that tiny bird with all my heart, and I couldn’t wrap my head around something so serious being able to heal at all.

Well, we treated her 2-3 times a day with a special antiseptic spray and an ointment that I can’t remember the name of right now, and three weeks later, she showed no signs whatsoever of ever being injured. Every feather had grown back and everything. Chickens heal ridiculously fast!