Graphic Pics, Scalped Orloff Pullet!

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I cleaned it out with betadine, IVORY soap & water. I then packed the flap with Neosporin (non-medicated kind), then used some PDZ puffer on it. I gave her some electrolytes and antibiotics in her water. She is eating & drinking and seems to be enjoying the dog crate next to the fire.

 

[jarodw45]

Quote:
There's really nothing to stitch. The skin is gone...what you're seeing is her SKULL.

There is a flap at the bottom of her neck but it's probably too old to stitch and/or it could create an abscess if I were to try to fix it...

true I just didnt know if there was enough to pull together... seems to me like you will have to cover it some way. Dang I wish you all the best with her. Chickens can be so mean sometimes and they definately dont like outsiders much at all.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
There's really nothing to stitch. The skin is gone...what you're seeing is her SKULL.

There is a flap at the bottom of her neck but it's probably too old to stitch and/or it could create an abscess if I were to try to fix it...

true I just didnt know if there was enough to pull together... seems to me like you will have to cover it some way. Dang I wish you all the best with her. Chickens can be so mean sometimes and they definately dont like outsiders much at all.

Yeah...the last one I did cover for two days but then I read that you want to keep it open...so I removed the bandages. This time I will try to keep it open and see what happens...

 

[sred98]

I had a hawk scalp one of my chickens like that. I cleaned it out well, and kind of glued the flap of skin back on with neosporin, and kept it glopped on there and you can't tell it was ever scalped. She was down to the bone, too! It looked just like yours.

Good Luck!

Shelly

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

i dealt with that a couple weeks ago was on the neck me and my dad stitched it up and its fine now dont know about the head though

 

[Dr. Phrankenstein]

About 10 days ago I had my 8 week old Buff Brahma pullet henpecked so badly on her back that she had a patch of skin "missing" that was nearly half the size of my hand. I initially wrote her off as a goner, but decided to put neosporin on it, then proceeded to stitch her back together with cotton thread. 35 stitches or so later I put her in the brooding box by herself and put her on "broiler Booster" vitamin water from Mcmurray, and gave her the 20% chick ration.

To my absolute shock, she is doing very well. Aside from pulling about 5 of the stitches out, she handled it rather well. The skin was streached pretty good to cover the wound, but she appears fine, and her feathers are starting to come back.

I posted the incident here as well, and someone mentioned to me that the skin would grow back even without stitches, and that I may have done more harm than good! Her chicken had more skin missing than mine and it survived as well.

I don't have advice for you, only encouragement. You will have to make the best decision for your situation. Oh yeah, and I prayed for the chicken too... My 4 year old son provided that motivation. I am sure it helped, cause it wasn't me!

Dr. Phrankenstein (not a real doctor!)

 

[eggboy]

Yikes! I am suprised your chicken survived.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

With that much skin missing on the head, unlikely you could close the wound, but the lower part does look like a few stiches would greatly reduce the size of the open wound.

I think I would try to reduce the size of the open wound as much as possible without overly streaching the skin such to cause breathing, swallowing or eye problems. I think to some antibiotics would be good to have onboard. I'd skip the asprin though, really not much proof it does much for chickens and how they feel pain. Anyway imagine having that wound yourself, an asprin would not even touch that sort of pain.

 

[jarodw45]

How is she today?? I hope all is well!

 

[noodleroo]

We had a wound like that happen to a pheasant. The skin was completely gone and the skull was exposed. We put her in a dog kennel and kept her in the house with a relatively clean enviornment and she healed completely. No antibotics - nothing; just food and clean water and living conditions. The skin grew back and is covered with feathers. She is quite fiesty; when I walk past her in the dark to check the chickens, she'll 'hiss' at me. I call her my little 'hissin' cockroach'...