Help! Injured hen! Don't know what to do!

[Mulemom]

Help! I turned my back on the new puppy for a few minutes! She had been doing so well with the chickens, but she grabed one! I thought she was dead, but she's not. She's stunned and missing some feathers from her back. She can walk, but is wabbly. I have her wrapped in a towel on my lap as I type this. What should I look for? What should I do?!

 

[SpottedCrow]

Check for bite marks/punctures.
You should keep her quiet and warm, because she's probably in shock.
Something like Aviacharge in her water would help too.

 

[Mulemom]

She has a bite mark on her back. missing some feathers and the skin is torn and i can see the meat. She's in shock too, but is starting to talk to me a little bit.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Do you have any antibiotic ointment or cream, like Neosporin, that you can put on her wounds? I'm glad she's starting to feel a little better. You should probably keep her separate from the other chickens until she heals up some, so that they don't peck at her wound.

 

[Mulemom]

Thanks WoodlandWoman. I did put neosporin plus on it and have been rocking her in the rocking chair like when she was a chick. She's on my lap now ane she's standing up, but sound asleep resting in her head!

I borrowed a rabbit cage from my neighbor and she's gonna stay in my dd's room for the next few days at least.

I've read a bunch of threads about maggots taking over. If I keep her inside do you think she'll be ok?

 

[davecash]

is the wound deep?

 

[Mulemom]

It's not really deep. The skin is torn and there is a space about the size of a dime of exposed meat.

 

[silkiechicken]

Just keep it clean and her inside. She should heal fine if nothing internal was damaged by the bite. As for the chunk of skin, if the skin is there, pull it closed and see if you can't tape it there. It will heal up just fine. I had a hen get her back hind quarter skinned and I just flapped it back and it grew back together just fine. It was in the winter so no maggots were out.

 

[davecash]

Quote:
couldnt have said it better.

 

[Mulemom]

Thanks everyone. She's a house chicken for now. She's not been one of my most sociable before, but she sure seems to like rocking in the rocking chair and sleeping in my lap now. This may make a lap chicken out of her yet.