Help :(

[Michael Apple]

What should I be putting on her wound to keep it from getting infected I dont want to loose her

You might dip a cotton ball in Betadine and dab the wound to prevent infection. Otherwise let it get air and heal. Some Pennicillin for 5 days may help prevent infection if the wound is deep or there are any punctures.

 

[Mygirls20]

you could irrigate the wound with saline solution but,if you don't have that clean the wound gently with soap and water. Not peroxide, it damages healthy tissue and really burns. Pat dry and then

use neosporin ointment ( no pain relief formula) over the wound. I'm sure others will come on and offer further advice.

Ok I did clean it and I plan on buying something tomorrow. Sadly this happened late (as all crappy stuff does) My husband just left town and my kids were already asleep. The only stuff I had was the pain relief stuff and I put that on :/ why cant you use that? will it hurt her?

 

[Mygirls20]

You might dip a cotton ball in Betadine and dab the wound to prevent infection. Otherwise let it get air and heal. Some Pennicillin for 5 days may help prevent infection if the wound is deep or there are any punctures.

There are no punctures just looks like the skin peeled right off and you can see the muscle. I am def going to my feed store tomorrow to get her some stuff Thanks everyone for all your help. I called my husband balling my head off. He thinks I am crazy cause they are chickens but they have become a part of my family and my daughters love them. I hate the fact that this has happened especially to my daughter's fav chicken

 

[Michael Apple]

There are no punctures just looks like the skin peeled right off and you can see the muscle. I am def going to my feed store tomorrow to get her some stuff Thanks everyone for all your help. I called my husband balling my head off. He thinks I am crazy cause they are chickens but they have become a part of my family and my daughters love them. I hate the fact that this has happened especially to my daughter's fav chicken

I know how you feel. They belong to us and it's our duty to protect them. The only predator I never got even with was a Bobcat that was too wise to get in my trap. I've only had predator problems if my birds range. You sound like a good Mom. I'd keep the bird in the house in a cage with a droppings pan if you have one. Maybe rig up a roost in it for the bird to sleep on. That makes it easier to keep you and your chicken clean. Once the wound heals she could go back with the others. I have 30' by 40' yard. I use half inch 2' tall hardware cloth around the perimeter of my chicken yard with 6' tall, 2"x2" square woven wire fencing. Coons will tear through chicken wire. I ran chicken wire over the top only, and mainly because of wild birds and hawks, so it's like Fort Knox. The doors to the coop bolt and clip. I have two other coops and yards but won't bore you with the details. I get annoyed with the feed store owners selling these piddly little coops to new poultry owners. A few Bantams may fit at night only, but then I see them walking out with a box of Orpington chicks to boot.

 

[Funky Chooks]

Be sure to keep her warm and away from other birds for a couple days at least. I bet you already knew that, but just in case I had to say something. Personally, since I've had lots of birds in the past, I always set up a "hospital" cage in cases like this. I have a small travel cage and a think cotton blanket, as well as a thicker cotton blanket. I arrange the blanket so that 3 sides of the cage are covered by the blanket almost down to the floor but leaving about 4" all the way around for ventilation. Use a lamp with a 60watt bulb, (no higher for safety) prop up the blanket so that it "catches the heat and gathers it under the area... On one whole side, do not cover at all or only slightly, so that the bird can move around the cage if it becomes too hot. Of course you have to be careful with this method and not overheat the bird or dehydrate the bird if you are keeing the water supply out for safety.

A warmed cage is probably the first and best thing to do for an injured bird. I learned when taking human biology classes that the reason most people die is trauma, and its critical to help in the first hours. In cases of trauma, getting a bird stabilized since they are such a high strung animal is even more important, imo.

I hope this info can help you now or in the future! I'll attach a pic to show what I mean. I believe I've saved many birds over my life by learning this someplace.



Here's my current patient, so I can show you what I meant. The heat source is not touched by any fabric and I'm careful there is no fire hazard. The metal garbage can behind the light fixture keeps the blanket from overheating. I then only cover the last side by about 1/3. Inside you want about 80 degrees, a nice soothing warmth, and offer the bird water every few hours. I'm lucky to have the right kind of lamp handy since I have this 1950s style lamp that works perfectly, but something can be fashioned with a regular lamp. I would only use a cotton blanket as man made materials might melt or something. It's also important to make sure there is some air circulation even in the back. I hope this doesn't seem overly complicated as it isn't, I'm just overly cautious for fire/overheating risk... I use a few paper towels on top of paper so that as the bird makes a mess I can remove one layer so she doesn't stand in mess and I only have to clean once or twice a day.

I hope she will be okay, and this helps you!

 

[Mygirls20]

I know how you feel. They belong to us and it's our duty to protect them. The only predator I never got even with was a Bobcat that was too wise to get in my trap. I've only had predator problems if my birds range. You sound like a good Mom. I'd keep the bird in the house in a cage with a droppings pan if you have one. Maybe rig up a roost in it for the bird to sleep on. That makes it easier to keep you and your chicken clean. Once the wound heals she could go back with the others. I have 30' by 40' yard. I use half inch 2' tall hardware cloth around the perimeter of my chicken yard with 6' tall, 2"x2" square woven wire fencing. Coons will tear through chicken wire. I ran chicken wire over the top only, and mainly because of wild birds and hawks, so it's like Fort Knox. The doors to the coop bolt and clip. I have two other coops and yards but won't bore you with the details. I get annoyed with the feed store owners selling these piddly little coops to new poultry owners. A few Bantams may fit at night only, but then I see them walking out with a box of Orpington chicks to boot.

Ya i ran chicken wire on the floor and drove in 4 inch stakes to keep it down (also hoping if something tried to dig under it cant get past the stakes) then I covered everything with sand and dirt. I hate those tiny chicken coops as well. I guess I am going to have to line my thick steel fencing with chicken wire as well. I honestly didnt think that a fox would grab them through it. I cant even squeeze my hand through there. I just feel like such a sh*t and totally upset that I did not think of everything to provide my girls with a perfectly safe home. I hope she pulls through I found this spray online last night thats for horses and dogs. You put it on their open wounds and it helps keep everything off plus fight any type of infection. I am hoping I can use it on her. :/

 

[Mygirls20]

Be sure to keep her warm and away from other birds for a couple days at least. I bet you already knew that, but just in case I had to say something. Personally, since I've had lots of birds in the past, I always set up a "hospital" cage in cases like this. I have a small travel cage and a think cotton blanket, as well as a thicker cotton blanket. I arrange the blanket so that 3 sides of the cage are covered by the blanket almost down to the floor but leaving about 4" all the way around for ventilation. Use a lamp with a 60watt bulb, (no higher for safety) prop up the blanket so that it "catches the heat and gathers it under the area... On one whole side, do not cover at all or only slightly, so that the bird can move around the cage if it becomes too hot. Of course you have to be careful with this method and not overheat the bird or dehydrate the bird if you are keeing the water supply out for safety.

A warmed cage is probably the first and best thing to do for an injured bird. I learned when taking human biology classes that the reason most people die is trauma, and its critical to help in the first hours. In cases of trauma, getting a bird stabilized since they are such a high strung animal is even more important, imo.

I hope this info can help you now or in the future! I'll attach a pic to show what I mean. I believe I've saved many birds over my life by learning this someplace.



Here's my current patient, so I can show you what I meant. The heat source is not touched by any fabric and I'm careful there is no fire hazard. The metal garbage can behind the light fixture keeps the blanket from overheating. I then only cover the last side by about 1/3. Inside you want about 80 degrees, a nice soothing warmth, and offer the bird water every few hours. I'm lucky to have the right kind of lamp handy since I have this 1950s style lamp that works perfectly, but something can be fashioned with a regular lamp. I would only use a cotton blanket as man made materials might melt or something. It's also important to make sure there is some air circulation even in the back. I hope this doesn't seem overly complicated as it isn't, I'm just overly cautious for fire/overheating risk... I use a few paper towels on top of paper so that as the bird makes a mess I can remove one layer so she doesn't stand in mess and I only have to clean once or twice a day.

I hope she will be okay, and this helps you!

Thank you for your info. I have a dog kennel I will put her into. Have you had a bird survive getting its skin ripped off? I dont mean to sound stupid but I am freaking out the mucsel is totally exposed sucks that the feathers just didnt come off I wouldnt be so worried but it just looks so bad. I love that bird to death but I also dont want her suffering and if she doesnt have a chance I would rather just put her down now then drag it out while she is in pain and get a horrible infection or something

 

[Funky Chooks]

Thank you for your info. I have a dog kennel I will put her into. Have you had a bird survive getting its skin ripped off? I dont mean to sound stupid but I am freaking out the mucsel is totally exposed sucks that the feathers just didnt come off I wouldnt be so worried but it just looks so bad. I love that bird to death but I also dont want her suffering and if she doesnt have a chance I would rather just put her down now then drag it out while she is in pain and get a horrible infection or something

Hi! What I described is sort of a first measure, to make her warm and feel safe from the others. Somehow my girls always seem to know that I am helping them. If she is not bleeding, and the wound is not deep or large it will probably heal on its own. I hope some others can address the fact that you can see the muscle though... it may require some stitches. Does she show signs of stress? Shock and stress will kill a bird quickly, so minimize it as much as you can. I would definitely do the betadyne wipe and neosporin if you don't have that. Is she drinking water at all?

 

[Mygirls20]

Hi! What I described is sort of a first measure, to make her warm and feel safe from the others. Somehow my girls always seem to know that I am helping them. If she is not bleeding, and the wound is not deep or large it will probably heal on its own. I hope some others can address the fact that you can see the muscle though... it may require some stitches. Does she show signs of stress? Shock and stress will kill a bird quickly, so minimize it as much as you can. I would definitely do the betadyne wipe and neosporin if you don't have that. Is she drinking water at all?

She is acting totally normal like nothing happened. She is out eating drinking hanging out with her friends. I am the one that is still in shock. She is stretching her wings out which I guess is a good sign her bleeding was minimal and is not bleeding anymore this morning. The only time she stressed out was after the attack and when I took her away from the flock. The other ladies arent picking on her either and her sister seems to be kind of protective over her today. I have been putting stuff on it and wrapped it so she leaves it alone. There is really no way for her to get stitches and when I called the vet they said they would charge me like 150 to take her in and that they really dont usually see chickens

I think I will just keep a eye one it keep stuff on it and hope it heals. :/

 

[PoultryPedia]

A caution on using chicken wire:
Many predators can reach through & grab at chickens through it as well. I hear frightened chickens will also sometimes run to the edge of a pen & actually stick their heads through the openings as an effort to get yet further in a particular direction, too, making them more vulnerable to being grabbed..

But perhaps it will be sufficient in your setup & the most that's practical.

Attaching wire to the bottom of the exterior of your run will also keep predators from digging in. Just extend it 1 1/2 to 2 feet and attach it well to the base of the run walls. You only need to lay it flat & just barely bury it or stake it down. (I learned this AFTER we spent a lot of time digging unnecessary trenches.)
Predators try to dig just right next to the run's walls. They don't realize they could back up a couple feet & be able to avoid having to deal with the wire.

Chicken wire will deteriorate more quickly (esp. against the ground) & can be torn apart more easily by predators than hardware cloth) but sometimes it's the best you can do & may be enough.

Hardware "cloth" wire I know is expensive. I've used old wire refrigerator shelves for some smaller spaces (See the "Tips for Chicken Coops" page on my website).