HELP! Curing Cannibalism Injury to Hen

[enola]

The blu-cote is for disguising wounds when you put her back with the flock. The vitamins and probiotics are a good idea. As long as she gets to drink as much as she wants, dehydration is probably not going to be a problem.

See if you can water some feed down until it is really mushy and offer that to her. She may figure out what it is and do her best to slurp it down.

Is she pooping? What does it look like?

 

[Gresh]

@Enola:

Okay, I'll try watering her food down tomorrow! I pray she catches on.

As to her poop, the last droppings I saw were very runny with almost zero solid waste. She hasn't eaten since Saturday evening.

Do you have any suggestions as to how to open her eyes? I thought about lightly pouring some warm water on her face to help soften some of the gook that has semi-solidified, but I wanted to get opinions before I did it.

 

[enola]

You can take a damp rag and soak her eyes to get the gunk off of the lids. They may open then. After you get the gunk off you can put eye ointment on them. My grandmother had a blind hen that she kept she learned how to eat grain out of our hands. If you can get her to eat wet feed she will learn how to peck even if she can't see it.

 

[lea5ff]

Did you put an antibiotic ointment on her wounds? I used neosporin without the pain relief on my chickens foot when she lost her toe and it has helped with the healing process.

 

[darkbrahmamama]

I've used vetericyn for eye wounds, frost bite, rain rot & wounds on my horse, hot spots & wounds on my dogs, if you can get some of that it's good stuff.

 

[Gresh]

I "cleaned" her wounds with dabs of peroxide when I first found her...after that I put some Triple Antibiotic Ointment on the injured areas. I have not given her wounds a thorough cleaning because I honestly don't know how. I'm not a veteran when it comes to injured chickens. I don't know how to hold her neck/head steady without hurting her (I once heard of a guy who accidentally broke his bantam rooster's neck while dubbing him, and the guy was a veteran dubber).

As an update, she got one of her eyes to open about a third of the way, but she doesn't act like she can see very well at all. She is still not eating or drinking on her own, and she is not eating.

Unfortunately, her head has developed a decaying smell...I'm afraid it's probably her comb. But I don't know how to dub her, let alone to clean out her head wounds thoroughly.

Thanks again for all the tips you guys have given thus far...any more tips are appreciated.

 

[enola]

To dub her, get someone to hold her head steady. Take a pair of very sharp scissors and just cut her comb off. Can you see any place on her head that looks puffy or squishy. Or anything that looks infected? If you can find the infection, it has to be cleaned thoroughly.

 

[darkbrahmamama]

I'd look into getting some antibiotics for her. Also, look for a wound cleaning spray that also acts as a healer if you can't get vetericyn spray. That way you'll clean it the same time as putting a wound care on it. Have you tried holding a warm wet rag over her eyes? I've healed a broken leg, egg bound with prolapsed vent, torn off spur, sour & impacted crop, frostbite , a mystery illness...... it's amazing what they can heal from.

 

[Gresh]

@enola

There is definitely an area on her face that is puffy and squishy. It's a yellowish-white color. How should I clean it out?

@Brahma:

I haven't tried the warm wet rag yet...sounds like a good idea though.


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I'll be doing what I can for her tonight...might include dubbing (if I can find some sharp scissors) and will definitely include some more definitive wound cleansing. She is doing about the same...oddly enough, she's a little perky. Her head still reeks of decay...hence tonight's cleaning.

 

[darkbrahmamama]

When my one hen was egg bound with a prolapsed vent I tried to get the prolapse back in, but it wouldn't stay in. I put her on antibiotics as soon as I found it, I sprayed vetericyn on her twice daily once I gave up trying to make the prolapse stay in, what skin stayed out eventually turned black & I cut it off. Sounds like your hens comb may be similar.