Fox Bite

[canuck chicken]

I have a hen with some deep bite wounds on her back from a fox. I need some advice on how/if to treat this.

Thanks!

 

[klmclain1]

Wash the wounds in warm soapy water. Spray with an antiseptic such as blukote getting into the wound as much as you can..then pack it with neosporin. Keep her in a warm, quiet, dark place with water and food for a few days checking on her and the wounds periodically and re-treating with the neosporin once or twice a day. If the wounds end up showing infection anyway, you might end up treating her with a systemic antibiotic.

 

[canuck chicken]

Thanks! I just cleaned her with Hibitane and got a good look at the wounds - 4 substantial puncture wounds. Packed them with Neosporin and now she's up and about eating. I only have one other hen so they're both locked in the coop together. They usually roam the yard. Is there much risk that the other hen will peck the injuries? The healthy hen is old and very docile.

 

[jtbrown]

Hope your girl is doing well. We just had our first bout with a fox last week, 3 of my hens were bitten but survived (10 gone with only feathers left), but many more survived. I cleansed, neosporin and left them be in unused brooders at first separate, then together. I waited until skin healed closed (amazingly quick compared to same wounds on a human), and then waited for them to perk up. I gave some scrambled eggs when they weren't eating much, just to spark appetite. Took 4 days for them to perk up completely. By then the wounds were just bruises. So, looks like you are on the way well into recovery, but just wanted to share recent experience. They integrated quickly back in to flock, but and fortunately we had no picking. Good luck.