HELP! Hen has gaping wound from rooster's spur ***GRAPHIC PIC***

[tamtam84]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Just wanted to give an update on her condition. Last night we brought her inside to check her out and see how she was healing. The dark part of her wound has gotten a lot smaller and has been replaced with healthy pink tissue. It was pretty dirty, so we cleaned it off the best we could and I put Neosporin on the wound. She seems to be healing pretty well on her own.

The only thing I'm concerned about is that she hasn't laid an egg since I first noticed her wound. I guess when they have a wound the egg production stops so they can put all their energy into healing? I'm hoping she will start up again just so I know everything is alright. I know when they stop laying eggs that is a sign that something is awry.

 

[rooaroo]

I am wondering how your hen is doing? I noticed my hen has the exact same kind of wound under her wing. Same story as you, no signs. I was getting them to settle down and put their saddles back on, they keep getting themselves out of them. But I put blu-kote on it now and plan to do more tomorrow. I am going to put my Roo in a cage and keep him separate for awhile. Wondering how long it takes for the wound to heal to know what I am going to have to deal with. Sorry for our birds being hurt but glad I am not alone to know what to do!

 

[tamtam84]

rooaroo - Thanks for asking! She seems to be doing better and started laying again this weekend! I was so happy to see her eggs again. I'm guessing when I first noticed her wound was pretty close to when she got it, because right after I noticed it is when she stopped laying for nearly 2 weeks.

Honestly, I haven't done much at all for her. I brought her in once to clean it out and put neosporin on it, but I don't think that helped. I really try to avoid separating them if at all possible because it just causes too much of a ruckus with the pecking order. Just from bringing her inside for about 15 minutes to check on her wound was enough to get our rooster all riled up!

Her wound keeps getting smaller, and since she is laying again, I feel like I'm just going to let her be for now. I'll keep inspecting to make sure the wound is still healing well, but I think she's going to heal up fine on her own. It has been about 2 weeks since I first noticed her wound, so I'd say hopefully she'll be back to normal in another week or 2 max.

Good luck with your girl! Keep us updated on how she is doing!

 

[gigglssmls]

I have a br hen with the SAME exact wound. Looks the same and smells as you described etc. I have been treating it with antibiotic cream after we washed it. We have kept her in a cage so the rooster couldn't get to her but I am concerned that it may force moult her. She is a tiny hen but she IS his favorite to mount. I am handicapped and not sure if I can trim his spurs. But I'm sure I can find someone to help me. My main concern is if I let her out and she lays eggs will the eggs be good or will they have the infection in them? My husband said we have to throw out all the eggs for about a week or so if I let her out since I wont know which eggs are hers. I LOVE my chickens..... this has me very upset. Being terminally ill I can't do anything anymore so having the chickens to care for is so important to me. I love them and they love me. I also have geese. We have all bonded and the thought of one of my babies injured breaks my heart. Anyhow again..... are the eggs from her safe to eat?

 

[tamtam84]

Hi gigglssmls - So sorry you're dealing with this! In my situation, I'm not totally sure if it was the rooster's spurs or his nails that injured my hen. I really think it was his nails that cut her. I don't think you necessarily need to worry about your rooster's spurs, but if you want to have someone help you remove them that may be a good idea (I've never done this myself, but you can search on here for advice from others).

We still ate our hen's eggs and never got sick, so apparently they were still good. I don't think an injury like this affects the eggs. If you were giving her some strong prescription antibiotics (like baytril) you would NOT want to eat the eggs. But with just antibiotic ointment or neosporin it should be just fine (it was in my case, anyway). But if you feel nervous about it do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

I really adore my chickens as well so I know how upsetting this is! They really give me so much joy and I couldn't live without them. Sounds like you know what I mean

 

[gigglssmls]

Well we found today a matching wound on the other side that is identical to the other one..... we cleaned it and put the ointment on it also. we have kept her separated from the rooster but let her roost with the others last night so the pecking order doesn't get too out of whack AND we do not force moult her by isolating her to much. Anyhow, we are pretty sure it is spurr wounds. Vet suggested euthanizing her but I almost cried so I am going to continue to treat her for at least another week and if there is no improvement then I will consider it but I want to try all I can first because I love her so. I love them all. I have become so attached to them. As I told you before I am terminally ill at 42 yrs old and my life has been so rough as a result. I was a teacher and I loved it I was needed and now I have my chickens and they have given me a reason... they are all gentle. Even my rooster eats from my hands. I need them and they need me. I hope and pray she heals. Thanks for the support and feedback.

 

[tamtam84]

I am no vet so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I don't see why you would have to euthanize her over this. My hen only had one wound, but she healed and I never once had a thought of euthanizing her. Perhaps if she is showing changes like being unable to jump up on the roost at night and not eating and drinking, that may be something to consider. I'm sorry the vet upset you! Like I said, I'm not a vet and I haven't seen her myself so I can't say with 100% certainty, but I would not put her down in this case if I were you.

Your plan of action sounds great to me. Just make sure to observe her as much as possible so you can spot anything unusual in her behavior quickly. It may be hard to tell because chickens rarely show signs of being sick or injured since they are prey animals, but just watch her closely and check her crop every night to make sure she is eating.

I really think she will pull through this!

 

[user172110]

MAKE SURE THE ROOSTER STAYS AWAY

 

[missmychickenz]

i hope your hen is doing ok? as my name says i miss my birds but when i had them i used to trim beaks, nails and spurs. i used a dog toenail clipper and a coarse nail file made for acrylic nails with #100/#180 grit or thereabouts. mostly the boys but any bullyish girls i'd trim too. just tip the nail or beak and round and smooth off with the file. same with the spurs. if you clip a little at a time they won;t bleed too much even if you do quick them. if you do quick them by accident they will be a little sore & leave the others alone for a few days. i've hear of some folks putting electricians wire nuts on spurs but never tried it my self. also heard of rolling up a ball of plumbber's epoxy, press the nail or spur into it, take it off and let it cure, then fill the impression w/ nail glue and put it back on to blunt the tip. never tried that one either... i suppose if nothing else the roo would be to busy trying to get them off to harass the hens XD also i used to keep a cage just big enough for a chicken to stand up in--about a 1-foot cube. jsut the thing for washing a chicken. put them in the cage, fill a tub with just enuf water of comfortable temperature so the chicken will be up to its neck, and put the caged chicken into the water. the chickens didn;t seem much stressed from it. very good for any time you need to soak off something dried on like poop on butt feathers, but also for disinfactant soaking a wound. or to quickly cool off or warm up a chicken that needs it. that's my treasure trove of experience FWIW {:>

 

[chickenmomma2]

I had the same thing happen this past Saturday. I irrigated the wound and cleaned it out. I used a antibacterial wash that also had a pain reliever in it. I then sewed the flap skin back together leaving an opening at the bottom for drainage incase infection starts. I covered it good with neosporin and she is in a dog crate in the house on my enclosed back porch. I was surprised she just sat there and let me sew her up. The pharmacist said to just sterilize the needle and thread with peroxide. Not sure how long I will leave her inside but will be making her a saddle before she goes out to rejoin the gang. I will also be despuring ALL 4 of my roos.