Graphic Pics- Wing Amputation Advise?

[Kiki]

I think a little larger and not with the crotch snaps. LOL

I was thinking the crotch snaps would hold it on better...just cut a poop hole.

 

[FishMtFarm]

Oh man I am so glad I found this post. I commend you for all the work you have put in trying to save your chicken. I know a lady who has a chicken that broke its leg and the bone sticks out. It healed and even with bone sticking out, it never got infected so I say keep doing what your doing. I'm just in awe over this. You be sure to keep the updates coming!

 

[XanderWiFi]

I think I can see a good chunk of muscle and skin left which will be your regeneration point. All the other black crusty stuff is likely dried blood, skin, etc. Remember lots of microvasculature was ripped away as well. I don't know if chickens have a lymph node system but those "cysts" may be swollen lymph nodes gearing up for battle against infection as well.

Continue with daily debridement. Keep it clean, but I would caution against vigorous mechanical (scrubbing) debridement due to the frail nature of the flesh you are trying to regenerate. The quicker you can get a clean fresh bed of healthy flesh to regenerate the quicker it will get her out of the woods.

 

[Raptorchick]

So, Raptor's booboo hasn't changed, I have betadine wash, blu kote, and vytrecel spray (not sure on the spelling?) arriving today. Again I cleaned it and smothered with Manuka honey and bacitracin...
I have another hurt bird, Duchess, she's my roo's favorite. Not her first rodeo but definitely the worst. I have jackets for all my girls, but now I separated him, his spurs are trimmed but he's just huge. Anyways, I found her with a chunk of skin missing and a huge hole down her leg. It was packed with dirt, no maggots, smell, or pus/infection tho. I was worried about the loose skin keeping infection where I can't see, so I cut some of it away, it bled and she felt it With gloves on I covered a gauze pad with hydrogen peroxide/water mix, also used q tips with the mix, and cleaned the whole wound area and inside the pocket. It looks like it's been at least a day, maybe two, because it scabbed over with the dirt. Do I need to remove the scabs that are part dirt? It basically covers half the wound. I irrigated and cleaned out the pocket, then filled it with bacitracin ointment, same with the wound area.

Above is after I removed skin, below is me lifting the skin to show the "pocket". The inside was irrigated with hydrogen peroxide/water, which bubbled and turned white inside there, I also think I see a white connective tissue:

Below is after filling/applying bacitracin ointment. I don't have anywhere inside to keep her, so I'm wrapping her and putting her jacket back on. I did that yesterday also, and it stayed clean overnight, she's still hanging out with the other ladies but walking a little slower. I haven't had any issues with bullies, just the roo, and he's in the small pen. I'm afraid to put her over there and leave him with the girls, he might hurt another. I don't think this can be stitched, I'm not sure if I should open it and get rid of the pocket, but all that skin is alive :/
.... thanks again everyone, you all have been SO helpful !

 

[RodNTN]

As you have already been told numerous times, GREAT job on this!!!!!!!!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

My girl that I linked the thread to had a bit of a pocket. I put sugar in it! Literally lifted the skin a little and threw some in the hole.
The sugar granules help the skin grab onto something. If you sugar the whole wound and apply a gauze pad, when you remove the pad anything not meant to stick to her will come off with the pad. If it was really stuck I would spray the pad with some Vetricyn first but that was more to losen where it was stuck to healthy skin.

 

[Raptorchick]

Thank you!! Time to break out the sugar, I'll start it tomorrow

 

[Raptorchick]

Quick photo update... I'm a mess with the sugar xD I brushed off the extra sugar as much as possible, these girls are gonna be so sticky so Raptor looks like the scabs are shrinking inward, her skin has a nice pink color around the edge. Duchess had a hole in her wound that closed up, I still lifted and cleaned around as much as possible. Oh and I tried out the stockinette, felt like I was putting a sweater on my chicken lol, we'll see how they are tomorrow

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Yes sugar is a mess! If you think the skin is getting to tight youbcan give it a good coat of virgin coconut oil. It's very moisturizing and has healing properties as well. I also used it on her feathers to try to keep them from becoming a solid sugar blob.

 

[Tesumph]

Good grief, I never got notifications for this! I’ve been wondering for days why you haven’t posted lol.

SHE LOOKS AMAZING! I’ll try to answer what you asked but I’m sure I’ll forget something.

I don’t think skin grafts will work at all in this case. You need a rich blood supply for that to take and in this case it’s just not there. The fact that her nub looks like an overdone hotwing is good for an ugly but functional limb, but it means no skin would hold.

The black isn’t super concerning, probably just blood and dead skin. Don’t try and remove it, it will slough off as it heals. That’s what the sugar and honey is for, to make that process smoother and less painful. The more moist a wound like this stays, the faster it will granulate in good tissue, and the less stiff and “rippable” it will be. The key is to make sure it is sterile, and that’s why sugar wraps are so good. They resist bacteria while drawing away icky drainage and not drying out the wound. And yes, it is very messy! We usually put it directly onto a bandage that’s a little moistened with saline and then wrap or pack it into a wound. Then you can wrap and bandage as normal. You can be quite generous with the sugar coating, don’t be scared to mound it on.

I really wouldn’t use hydrogen peroxide. More and more studies are showing it has very little benefits like we used to think. The foaming effect really isn’t that good at drawing much out (and makes people think the wound is cleaner than it is), it hinders skin growth, and it hurts like hell. I am a proud saline and betadine devotee.

As for your second hen, I’m a little late, but yes, all dirt needs to be cleaned out at that initial cleaning, which will require a bit of scrubbing. That last picture looks really good, maybe a little too inflamed around the edges so just watch that. Too late now, but I wouldn’t have sutured it anyway. Only once did I take a needle to my hens, and it was a perfect slice of skin that could’ve passed for a skin graft. It was extremely clean and blood supply was perfect. I still left a small hole and watched it carefully for filling up with fluid.

Hydrotherapy is another very useful method for wound management of very tight and dry wounds like these with very little skin to work with. Basically just keep running water on it to soften it up before flushing with whatever you’re using, packing, and then wrapping. There’s a science to it, but that’s the gist of it lol.