Hawk Attacked Chicken - deep wound in thigh - HELP!

[sixlittlechickens]

Just went outside and found one bird had blood on its side. On closer inspection we found a deep wound on the hen's upper thigh. The bird is an 8 month old Easter Egger, otherwise very healthy. Lots of blood, seems to have been attacked by a hawk. We currently have her in an old dog crate.

 

[sixlittlechickens]

Any advice greatly appreciated! Thank you.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Just went outside and found one bird had blood on its side. On closer inspection we found a deep wound on the hen's upper thigh. The bird is an 8 month old Easter Egger, otherwise very healthy. Lots of blood, seems to have been attacked by a hawk. We currently have her in an old dog crate.

Inspect her for more wounds/punctures that may be hidden under her feathers, check her entire body.

Is the wound a puncture or ripped skin? It's very hard to see in the photo.

What do you have on hand? Flushing and cleaning the wound is important. You can use saline, chlorhexidine (Hibiclens), betadine or if you don't have those - use warm soapy water.
Trim the feathers from around the wound so you can see it better and that will help keep feathers out of it too.
Apply triple antibiotic ointment to the wound.

She does look alert (all though upside down LOL) in her cage. Keep her drinking and eating.
Let us know how she is.

 

[mountaingirl196]

Chickens are AMAZINGLY resilient creatures. You'll be blown away.

Keep her separated from everyone until her wound is completely healed. Clean it as best you can, trim around the wound, and keep her cage clean. I spray wounds with Vetericyn, it really speeds the healing process. Found on pet food aisles and in feed stores.

 

[sixlittlechickens]

Thank you for responding. It does seem to be a puncture wound. We washed it with warm water and put Blu-Kote on it. She is eating, drinking, and moving around. She is separated from the flock. I apologize for the poor quality of the picture (I was trying to use the camera on the computer ). She is having trouble settling in for the night. She fell off the roost multiple times, but whenever I take the roosting bar away, she tries to roost on the water bowl or nesting box. She is doing much better.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for responding. It does seem to be a puncture wound. We washed it with warm water and put Blu-Kote on it. She is eating, drinking, and moving around. She is separated from the flock. I apologize for the poor quality of the picture (I was trying to use the camera on the computer ). She is having trouble settling in for the night. She fell off the roost multiple times, but whenever I take the roosting bar away, she tries to roost on the water bowl or nesting box. She is doing much better.

I hope she settles down for you. She's missing being with her flock.
If the wound looks good in the morning and she's alert/eating/drinking - you may want to place her cage inside the run or coop during the day so she can see the others. That's if, the weather is agreeable!