Help ASAP! Cut on side of head

[idachick]

I need help, I came home tonight to find one of my chickens out in the front yard injured and disoriented. No clue HOW this happened but to the important part...
She has a gash/cut on the side of her head, no feathers there, completely open and torn into her flesh.
I put her back out with the other chickens but my husband is worried that I shouldn't leave her out with them in case they peck it. It's midnight and he isn't in town to help, so I think I will leave her for a few hours. I will go out before the sun comes up to pull her out of the coop and bring her inside. I assume I need to clean the wound but with just water?
I have no idea what to do and wonder if I should find a vet or try to mother her myself. I just need advice on what to do and how.
Thanks!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

She needs to be separated now. They could already be picking on the would. Flushing the wound with water is fine to get debris out. Put some Biactrin cream/ointment(it is just like neosporin without the pain reliever) and get some Blukote to put on it. Keep her separate until the wound is completely healed. Give her extra protein to help with the healing, scrambled or boiled eggs are good.

 

[idachick]

I have her inside now, the cut doesn't look as open. It is right above her puffy cheek (Americana) so I tried to move the feathers back to see but she whines and I am scared I am hurting her. I will see if I can get some help from a friend to hold her while I try to rinse it and treat it. I think I need to call a vet as well because I don't know what got her over our tall fence and into the front yard with injury. I read that if it was a cat she will need antibiotics. Thank you for your reply. I could not find the information right away after reading 4 pages of the threads. I am new at this site and to chicken raising.
Also how long to I keep her separate? Can I see if the other chickens leave her alone, or is it just a given that they will peck at her injury?

 

[idachick]

I cleaned her up with a washcloth, she is not opening that eye very much and that worries me. I have decided to take her into the vet tomorrow. Since I cannot figure out what happened and there is a trail of feathers, I assume she got attacked by a cat. I will take her to get antibiotics to be safe and make sure her eye is ok.

Still wondering how long to isolate her?
Thanks!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Keep her separated until the wound heals. If flies get in it, then she'll have maggots in the wound. She may take some time as she is probably in shock. Make sure she gets some fluids in her and you can cook up an egg for her to keep her strength up. You can also crush 1/4 aspirin in 1 cup water for pain.

Both bobcats and foxes can climb a 6 foot fence. If it is a wood fence, then you can add opossums and raccoons to the list.

 

[idachick]

I would think a raccoon would have killed her, not left her injured. Not sure about other creatures, I know I have seen fox and coons nearby recently.

I cannot get her to drink, is there a secret to getting liquids in her? I am about to use a syringe on the side of her mouth. I have cared for other animals like this but never a chicken.

 

[stargirl]

Hopefully you're managing to get her to drink with the syringe. Give it her in small amounts and make sure she's swallowing. If she'll eat but wont drink, foods high in water like grapes and melon are a good idea. Also soak her pellets in hot water to make a porridgey consistency. That will help her stay hydrated.

 

[idachick]

I am still feeling so helpless and clueless. I realized today that my poor girl cannot stretch her neck out when she wants to "fluff" her feathers. She tries to move her head towards her back to fluff with her beak but stops and moves to the other side and tries again but it is looking like she is in pain. I could add asprin to water however I feel like I am barely getting her to take in enough water. I already have added the electrolyte for chickens into her water.
She refuses to eat. She turns her head away from me to get away from the food, she does the same with the water but I found a way to drip it onto her beak so she instinctively drinks it down. I make sure not to get the water too close to her nasal area.
I think she is doing better since she is more active and not wanting to be in the cage. I moved her next to the sliding glass door so she can see her "friends" and the other chickens come sit by the door with her. I took her out there today to see if they would be okay with her but one chicken started to peck her, I put a quick stop to that.

I called around trying to find antibiotics & I finally found some - it is Duramycin-10. The package wasn't clear about how to mix only a bit and not 100 gallons. So in searching for the answer, I found post after post about how I shouldn't be using this antibiotic for an injury. DANG! I couldn't find penacillin at the stores, I only found this. Any suggestions or comments?? Should I do it anyways or not?

Also the only vet I found who will treat chickens is booked out for 4 days! They said in an emergency to take her to the 'er for animals'. However the 'er for animals' requires money up front and it is over $100 just to be seen! I am not sure this is all worth it. But I don't think she is in very bad shape, other than her refusal to eat or drink on her own, of course I guess don't really know.

Any suggestions?
Should I just keep trying to hydrate and wait for her to get better?
Should I try antibiotics?
Or should I schedule a vet appointment for Friday and hope she makes it til then?

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I would keep putting topical antibiotic on it. Just make sure no ingredients end in ***ANE( lidacane and such) as it is toxic to them.I use Biactrin. Also keep up with the water. Try making a wet scrambled egg( not fully cooked to fluffy) or yogurt. If the wound appears to be getting infected( which you will see and smell) then you need to decide if she is worth taking to vet. Maybe schedule the vet that is 4 days out, if she is not better by then at least you have the appointment, and you can always cancel if she is getting better. Keep posting updates.

 

[idachick]

I would keep putting topical antibiotic on it. Just make sure no ingredients end in ***ANE( lidacane and such) as it is toxic to them.I use Biactrin. Also keep up with the water. Try making a wet scrambled egg( not fully cooked to fluffy) or yogurt. If the wound appears to be getting infected( which you will see and smell) then you need to decide if she is worth taking to vet. Maybe schedule the vet that is 4 days out, if she is not better by then at least you have the appointment, and you can always cancel if she is getting better. Keep posting updates.

Thanks for all your help, and reassurance for me.

I tried the egg this evening but she refused it too. I ended up feeding it to the others and they loved it of course. Tahnks again!