Hen chewed up by possum - Bag Balm?

[CHPJohn]

Last night I walked into the coop to find a possum gnawing on my poor Silkie girl, Ruby. Her back and tail are missing a lot of skin and the meat is pretty mangled, but I don't think her body cavity was punctured. I gently rinsed her off, sprayed her heavy with BluKote, and syringe-fed her some water with crushed up baby asprin to take the edge off her pain. She's in a laundry basket in the closet where it's dark and warm.
I was wondering if it would be beneficial to put some bag balm on the wound? I'm worried that the tissue will dry out and crack, and just create more problems.
Unfortunately no vets in a 2 hour radius have any bird experience. Suggestions greatly appreciated. I'm doing my best to keep her as comfortable as possible.

 

[Hybridchucks]

How terrible!!!! Im so sorry i hope someone can help you

 

[Ursuline Chick]

You need to prepare to rid yourself of the possum ASAP,(like tonight), it will be back looking for another chicken dinner. I know this doesn't help your hen that got attacked this time, but it will prevent other hens from the possums, cause you probably have more than one. Don't know where you live or what is legal, but do your home work and rid yourself of this preditor before it harms more of your babies.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Pictures are helpful for those in the know about medical care of chickens.

 

[CHPJohn]

Yes, we're setting the first traps tonight. It was just a half-pint teenage possum. We've had possums around forever and they've never caused a problem, so we've only really been vigilant about coons - last night the door was left open a little longer than usual and Ruby, being broody, didn't get out of the way like everyone else. I'll grab pictures in just a moment.

 

[CHPJohn]

I would have dispatched the possum immediately but all I had with me was my bare hands... I grabbed it, threw it in my panic to check Ruby, it disappeared back into the woods. My phone's dead at the moment so pictures will be posted in a little while - thank you for the well-wishes in the mean time!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

I have had to beat a large possum to get him to release my hen from his mouth. We set a trap most everynight, when we get lazy we are up in the middle of the night dealing with possums of different ages. They are like rats, if they can get their head in a space they can squeeze themselves in.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

A 2 x 4 kept near your coop works fairly well. I know it sounds mean, but so is eating my hen while she is still alive.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

When my rooster was attacked by a coyote, I didn't realize at first that he had a sucking body cavity wound. But even with that wound I cut feathers way back wherever he was injured and coated his wounds generously with raw honey (not pasteurized).

The research I've read and examples of successful treatments supports the use of honey for serious injuries. I had a small jar of Manuka honey I bought for emergency use, but you can use local honey. It makes a sticky mess, but honey is water soluble and will easily wash off. I don't think I bathed Henry for a week or so during the initial phase of treatment, but when I did it cleaned off nicely.

If you'd like to learn more, search for the discussion I started using the keywords Henry, rooster and honey. Please keep us posted on how she's doing.

ETA: Epsom salt baths are excellent for cleaning and healing wounds. If you're sure she doesn't have a sucking body cavity wound, I wouldn't delay bathing her wounds. I used 1/2 cup per gallon of water, but that's probably more than necessary.

 

[CHPJohn]

I just went to check on her and take the photos and she didn't feel as warm to the touch as she should, given that she was in a warm room, so I went to get hot water bottles for her and when I came back she took her last breath in front of me. Thank you for your advice and kind thoughts - I won't be letting this kind of thing happen again.