HELP! An animal attacked my hen! WARNING GRAPHIC PICTURES

[chickentenderbunny]

Hello, please help! I heard a strangled cry of a chicken and ran outside quickly. I soon found out that one of my hens went missing and I frantically looked everywhere for her. Since I couldn't find her in my backyard or around my neighbors, I gave up until my mom came home. When she got back, she immediately found her in our chicken coop and said that she was hurt. When I went out to grab her from the coop, the injuries are much worse than I thought.

The feathers on her back are almost gone and she suffered quite a bit of damage on her tail as well as in the neck area. Can anyone please give any advice and treatment?!? I've never treated wounds this badly on my chickens before. ( The treatment I've done so far is neosporin ointment (I plan to buy the spray version tomorrow) and wrapped her body with a cloth. I plan on keeping her in the house with me until her wounds heal.


Thankfully she's drinking water and eating (she's been eating yogurt, corn, noodles, and the standard chicken grains.)

I'm not sure what attacked her, but my parents and I all have separate guesses. My dad thinks it was a cat, my mom thinks its a mouse, and I think it's a dog. :/

 

[AmyJane725]

Sorry your girl is hurt.

For starters, I'd flush the wound out really well with betadine or saline at least.

Now, I can't quite tell from the photos, does she have chunks missing, or just flaps ripped open that have edges that meet up again?

 

[Swampgal]

As awful as this is, she can survive! We had this happen too. We used generous amounts of first aid solution ( get to your feed store/ supplier) and kept her in a dog crate hospital in our basement with lots of TLC and treats. Eventually we took her in the crate to the run so she could socialize. It took a month to recover. Then we had to monitor for bullying by the others and even traded out a couple of mean girls. Henry Penny lived to brood more chicks. Good luck!

 

[BantyChooks]

I've treated worse at home, and the bird did end up surviving. I agree that the wound should be flushed quite well. If there's any feathers or other debris inside, pull it out. Clip or pluck any feathers in the immediate area of the wound so they don't brush inside and contaminate it. Wounds must be warm, clean, and have blood flow to heal. I'm not entirely sure what angle the photos show, but from what I can see I think stitches or wrapping would be a bad idea due to the bacteria that would be left in the cavity with ideal conditions for multiplying.

Disclaimer—I am not a vet.

 

[Eggcessive]

Where are the worst wounds in the first 3 pictures? Keep her wounds moist by spraying with wound spray (Vetericyn or similar) and apply the palin Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment twice a day and as needed. Something like Hibiclens and water or Betadine would be good to clean the wound if it smells bad or looks infected. Drinking and eating is good, but a lot depends on the next few days if there were any internal injuries. Listen for any air leaking, since air sacs may have been puntured. Her oil or preen gland above her tail could be damaged or missing. Keep her separated and away from flies until her wounds have healed and scabbed over.

 

[Eggcessive]

Well there may not be much you can do without a vet. You could put some vaseline or Neosporin on a piece of gauze and hold it over the location leaking air, and go to a vet. Use the Hibiclens (chlorhexidene) with a little water as the label says. Apply the ointment twice a day after cleaning the wound.

 

[slordaz]

@casportpony
@oldhenlikesdogs
@aart

it's a good sign she is eating and drinking, I personally wouldn't cover the wounds just clean them for now , not awake enough just yet as no coffee so tagged some eggsperts

 

[chickentenderbunny]

Well there may not be much you can do without a vet. You could put some vaseline or Neosporin on a piece of gauze and hold it over the location leaking air, and go to a vet. Use the Hibiclens (chlorhexidene) with a little water as the label says. Apply the ointment twice a day after cleaning the wound.

Okay will do, thanks! I didn’t hear any air leaking but I wanted to make sure I know what to do just in case I do.

 

[BantyChooks]

Thank you for posting more pics. This is only my opinion, but having dealt with a few close calls as well as fatal ones in other animals, that's a mortal wound: there are organs showing. So--again just my opinion--I'd humanely euthanize this one. She's got to be suffering.

That looks more like discoloured tissue to me than organs? I mean, I could be wrong. Hard to tell with low res pictures.

 

[BantyChooks]

She still has an appetite and occasionally walks around or sits down for a period of time but it’s hard to say if she’s getting better or worse. I’m trying to stay calm as best as I can but I’m also constantly worried because her wound looks so bad. I know she must be in pain but I really want to help her pull through this

I personally think she should heal just fine. I'm not seeing more than surface flesh wounds. Keep it clean, keep her away from flies, and keep it moist enough that the skin is able to knit back together and scab up.