Hen filleted open!

[venymae]

Honestly I'd put an old towel or similar in for bedding - nothing that could get into her wound. A low roosting bar might not go amiss.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

From my recent and ongoing experience with a recovering rooster, it's a good idea to line the bottom of the cage with a folded towel. Cardboard, bare flooring, plastic surfaces: They are slippery for chicken feet and doubly so if your hen has long claws.

It's tempting to place a blanket in there and make her cozy, but that has its own problems. Wounds can suffocate when air flow is restricted by a blanket, and if there's any chance she has a hidden wound somewhere, bacteria can fester. This was my experience with Henry. It took a few days for me to discover wounds on his undercarriage.

Something helpful for managing the droppings is a used Starbucks paper cup and a vintage silver plated spoon. Haha, Peet's would probably work just as well. But go with silver plated over stainless.

Just scoop it clean off the towel and into the cup.

I also have a large stack of wash cloths and tight weave cotton napkins. I flatten them out across the entire surface of the towel and scoop them with the spoon and then flip them over for another use before tossing them in a Henry bucket to be washed.

As for the cause of her wound, it could have happened in the chicken run and her companion may have had a zombie pecking frenzy.

Do keep us posted and good work on finding a chicken-friendly vet!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad your vet was able to take care of your lovely lady

I agree with adding something like a folded towel or even puppy pads for a couple of days to help give her a cushion.

I hope she heals quickly. Please keep us posted.

 

[MokiYoki]

Add a towel, perch, or dont it doesnt really matter as long as she doesnt get her claws snagged on it and it CANT get into her wound but the most important thing you can give her right now that you arent already is the option of a HEAT SORCE.
get her a small heat lamp or a heat pad under her cage. Something anything to help keep her warm. There are plenty of studies to back me up here. But make sure she can choose the heat or not free choice just like you do with chicks in a brooder.

 

[path.otto]

What a beautiful girl! I'm glad your vet gave you such a good prognosis. Did he/she offer an opinion on what might have caused this wound? Hope her recovery is uneventful.

 

[Oolala]

Even if you dont have an avian vet talk to your nearest animal vet anyway, mine have been brilliant and have given me drugs just from explanations so they may suggest some antibiotic powder to put in their water as a precaution and something to clean, disinfect and dress the wound.

 

[Eggsoteric]

Update!! Sorry it took so long to get back to y'all

The vet said that the wound was still fresh and soft, so it can grow back together without too much trouble! He stitched her up and placed a draining tube towards the top of the wound. I have to give her a shot twice a day of antibiotics, and syringe antibiotic ointment into the wound through the opening by the draining tube once a day.
She's doing well right now and is resting in her cage. But I was wondering if I should put any bedding in her cage or leave it without anything?

Thank you all again for your help!! I will keep you all posted on how she is doing.
View attachment 1181674

Good to hear your girl is on the mend. I like to use puppy pads or even disposable bed pads - makes for easy clean up.

 

[aart]

Glad you got it taken care of.
Did the wound pierce the abdominal cavity?
Did you ever figure out how it happened?

 

[mbphotos09]

Hello everyone!
My girl (I call her Pom-Pom ) seems to be in good spirits. I saw her drink water earlier but I haven't seen her eat yet. Hopefully that'll come soon.
I put some soft, washable puppy pads in her cage and I'm really liking them! I'm going to see if we have an old 2x4 laying around that I can put up for her. As for giving her a heating element, I would rather not use a heat lamp. I have her in my garage right now, which is very warm, but I can get a spot made up for her inside our laundry room if it's necessary?

Thanks again!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear that Pom-Pom is still doing well.

Since she is still perky and drinking, she's probably warm enough. Check the temp of your garage. A sick or injured chicken needs around 75-80F, but you don't want to overheat them.

Injured birds can be a little picky with feed. You can try giving her a wet mash made of her normal feed, stir in a little yogurt (1tsp) if you wish or entice her with a hard boiled egg.