Hawk Attack

[9chickenlover]

I have a 9 chickens, and one of them recently got attacked by a hawk.
My dad was sitting in the kitchen and he sees the hawk swoop down behind the hot tub. He relized that the chickens were behind it. He got up and ran out side to scare the hawk away. The hawk flew away and one of our recently new chickens were hurt. (Name of chicken: Peppermint Patty) I put away all the chickens so the hawk wouldn't think about attacking them again. I looked at her and in a few spots were some deep and not so deep wounds. We thought she would heal on her own.
My mom asked to see the wounds on her. But, then as we started to look at her more thoroughly we saw the biggest wound of all. Right under her wing was a wound. The hawk must of taken a chunk of her skin, but thankfully not the meat.
We took her to the vet and they did nothing. Then we went to a different ladie that was very helpful and took care of the wound. She was not able to stich it up but cleaned it and put a couple of gauzes around her to keep the cloth in place and to keep the infection out.
We were wondering if anyone will recommend a treatment for the hen to heal its wound.
Thank you!
Chloe

 

[sourland]

Poultry generally heal well from skin lacerations. I have always left such wounds uncovered and applied antibiotic ointment on a regular basis. The wound will heal from the 'outside in' with healthy tissue forming around the edges until the wound is eventually covered. This may take a while depending upon the size of the wound. Biggest problems are fly strike (not an issue this time of year) and pecking from flock mates - sometimes necessitating isolation. Good luck with her recovery.

 

[windhillmom]

Just an FYI-peroxide is not always the best medicine for wounds, read up on this.

 

[9chickenlover]

Thank you!! That information is very useful! I am sure Peppermint Patty will get better. Thanks!!!!