Hen attacked by Raccoon; Large gash

Vehib

Hatching
May 26, 2022
1
1
6
My Golden laced chicken was attacked by a raccoon and now has a large gash on her side; muscle is exposed. She is also missing feathers and has other minor scratches. There is a large layer of skin that has been ripped open exposing two 1x1 inch areas. If I move the skin and look under it there are large holes as if made by claws. The skin can be stretched to cover the exposed meat.

In terms of behavior, the chicken is eating and drinking and looks alert, but what's strange is she is standing like a hawk and always stuffing herself in a corner. She has been isolated from other chickens in a clean box in the garage with water and food.

My question is, will the gash heal on its own with just antibiotics and cleaning? Does the wound need to be cleared out and then closed? Would superglue work?
 

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I would NOT try to close this wound especially since there are pockets beyond the gash where the critter's claws and teeth may have penetrated. It will close up.

I would clean and flush it with chlorahexadine (it's blue, the generic is around $15 at the feed stores) and then I would pack it with Neosporin or some other antibiotic cream.

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Cut off all the feathers that overlap the cut. They will just keep on irritating the area, and will be a source of contamination for the wound.
 
If there is ***NO*** evidence that she's bleeding, you can offer aspirin for pain relief. I get the "low-dose 81mg chewables" in cherry flavor at wal-mart, and I grind them up and mix them into scrambled eggs. Usually those get gobbled down. Others mix it into the water. No more than 3 days with that though.
 

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