Hen with bad puncture wound, smelly. Help.

[Urbchix]

Hi all,
One of my hens (~2 yr old Australorp) was attacked and now has a bad puncture wound under her left wing. I didn't notice anything until I smelled something rotten and then noticed the wound late last night. I have washed it, flushed it with hydrogen peroxide, trimmed feathers, pulled some feathers that were inside, and put some antibacterial ointment in the deep wound. She is now in a box in the basement with food and water. This morning she was eating with the others acting pretty normal before i washed it. She is now a bit lethargic but drinks and kinda ate some pellets. There are no maggots and I am not sure when the injury happened, but I'm guessing it's a new raccoon in the area.

The wounds are pretty bad and smelly so I'm worried there is rotting flesh, probably the fat. How do I figure that out and address it? The wound goes down so there's a pocket into fat that holds the antibiotic.

Pictures at the end (pretty graphic) can show this. I'm not sure if there are any vets that would take a chicken in my area, and I'm not sure that I can afford it right now.

Suggestions?

For more info on how the attack probably happened:

Two of my hens were outside the coop in a makeshift pen because one of them is being bullied really badly and is terrified of the other chickens. I hadn't yet predator proofed it, and was hoping to reintroduce the two hens/isolate the bully. Last night.my housemate heard squawking and then saw a raccoon run away. I went out to move them into the coop (both hens were roosting outside) and I noticed the smell, then the matted feathers. The smell seems to soon for the attack to have happened right then so I'm guessing it happened previously? Either way, I'm working on a predator proof pen while I'm trying to get the hens to play nicely and I'm furious with myself for letting her get hurt like this.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Sneebsey]

Poor girl. I wouldn't use peroxide as it damages good flesh with the bad (this also applies to yourself and your family). Next time, go for a wound-cleanser, what's available will depend on your location. I have a veterinary one called Hibiscrub.

Personally, I would be packing the wound with antiseptic ointment to push out infection, so keep going with that; apply daily. Keep her separated from your other birds for now, to avoid them picking at the wound out of curiousity, and watch for flystrike (maggots). You can give her some electrolytes in your water, or if they're not available, clean, fresh water, and I'd put her on chick-crumbs for the extra protein, if you have some on hand. If not, a mashed up boiled egg, shell and all, wouldn't hurt.

I have had some fairly deep wounds heal nicely with this treatment plan, though I have never had to deal with a bite like this. @Wyorp Rock , do you think any surgical intervention is necessary?

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
I would assume that the smell you are smelling is infection. Do you have any antibiotics on hand?

 

[Shadrach]

Hi all,
One of my hens (~2 yr old Australorp) was attacked and now has a bad puncture wound under her left wing. I didn't notice anything until I smelled something rotten and then noticed the wound late last night. I have washed it, flushed it with hydrogen peroxide, trimmed feathers, pulled some feathers that were inside, and put some antibacterial ointment in the deep wound. She is now in a box in the basement with food and water. This morning she was eating with the others acting pretty normal before i washed it. She is now a bit lethargic but drinks and kinda ate some pellets. There are no maggots and I am not sure when the injury happened, but I'm guessing it's a new raccoon in the area.

The wounds are pretty bad and smelly so I'm worried there is rotting flesh, probably the fat. How do I figure that out and address it? The wound goes down so there's a pocket into fat that holds the antibiotic.

Pictures at the end (pretty graphic) can show this. I'm not sure if there are any vets that would take a chicken in my area, and I'm not sure that I can afford it right now.

Suggestions?

For more info on how the attack probably happened:

Two of my hens were outside the coop in a makeshift pen because one of them is being bullied really badly and is terrified of the other chickens. I hadn't yet predator proofed it, and was hoping to reintroduce the two hens/isolate the bully. Last night.my housemate heard squawking and then saw a raccoon run away. I went out to move them into the coop (both hens were roosting outside) and I noticed the smell, then the matted feathers. The smell seems to soon for the attack to have happened right then so I'm guessing it happened previously? Either way, I'm working on a predator proof pen while I'm trying to get the hens to play nicely and I'm furious with myself for letting her get hurt like this.

Thanks for your help. View attachment 1546890 View attachment 1546891

Thats a nasty wound! Poor hen!
If it smells it's probably infected!
Get some antibiotics, quickly.
Don't use Hydrogen Peroxide!
If you can't find a proper wound cleaner get a mouthwash that contains Chlorhexidine.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I didn't notice anything until I smelled something rotten and then noticed the wound late last night. I have washed it, flushed it with hydrogen peroxide, trimmed feathers, pulled some feathers that were inside, and put some antibacterial ointment in the deep wound.

The wounds are pretty bad and smelly so I'm worried there is rotting flesh, probably the fat. How do I figure that out and address it? The wound goes down so there's a pocket into fat that holds the antibiotic.

You mention the wound goes down into the fat - how deep is it? Do you think it goes into the body cavity?

If you have vet care, that is best.

She needs antibiotics - do you have any on hand?
Procaine Penicillin G is in the refrigerated section of most Tractor Supply stores, you can try that to see if it helps with the infection. Inject it into the breast muscle 1/4" deep at a dosage of 1/4cc a day for 4-5days. Alternate sides each day.
Use a 20 gauge needle (you can get these and syringes at TSC too).

The rotten smell is very concerning - I agree with not using the Peroxide anymore, it can damage tissue with overuse. You can find Hibiclens (chlorhexidine) at your local drug store or probably WalMart, use that to flush the wounds. If you can't find that use Betadine.

IF the wound is all the way into the body cavity, then you are going to have a very hard time getting her to heal and she may not make it.
Since she is lethargic, try to keep her hydrated and encourage her to eat. Keep us posted.

 

[Shadrach]

If all else fails....please at least try for a vet...then this may save her but you will need antibiotics for that wound!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...s-and-injuries-with-stockholm-hoof-tar.74400/

 

[Sneebsey]

I'd use Amoxicillin as opposed to Penicillin, though I'm allergic to Penicillin so that's the route of my bias. Either would work as they both fight bacterial infections.

 

[Urbchix]

Thank you all for the responses. I only got an email for the first one so am seeing the rest now.

She's eating and drinking (scratch helped tempt her into the food) but not active. Her side still smells a bit foul but not nearly as bad as before I washed her. I'll use the above recommendations tomorrow for cleaning it, and will go to Tractor supply to get antibiotics.

With the ointment do I wash that out daily to flush the wound?

Any guesses on vet costs for something like this? I know they don't like to give estimates (I found this out the hard way when my dog broke his tooth) I'm not sure I can swing the cost currently if it's anything in that range. I'm in Boston so vets that actually handle chickens don't seem super common.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you all for the responses. I only got an email for the first one so am seeing the rest now.

She's eating and drinking (scratch helped tempt her into the food) but not active. Her side still smells a bit foul but not nearly as bad as before I washed her. I'll use the above recommendations tomorrow for cleaning it, and will go to Tractor supply to get antibiotics.

With the ointment do I wash that out daily to flush the wound?

Any guesses on vet costs for something like this? I know they don't like to give estimates (I found this out the hard way when my dog broke his tooth) I'm not sure I can swing the cost currently if it's anything in that range. I'm in Boston so vets that actually handle chickens don't seem super common.

Call you local vets and ask the price of an office visit.
I wouldn't think any testing so to speak would need to be done.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you all for the responses. I only got an email for the first one so am seeing the rest now.

She's eating and drinking (scratch helped tempt her into the food) but not active. Her side still smells a bit foul but not nearly as bad as before I washed her. I'll use the above recommendations tomorrow for cleaning it, and will go to Tractor supply to get antibiotics.

With the ointment do I wash that out daily to flush the wound?

Any guesses on vet costs for something like this? I know they don't like to give estimates (I found this out the hard way when my dog broke his tooth) I'm not sure I can swing the cost currently if it's anything in that range. I'm in Boston so vets that actually handle chickens don't seem super common.

You may want to flush the wound the next few days if it's oozing and still smells.
Getting her on antibiotics hopefully will help. If you do have a relationship with a vet, you could ask if they will see her or even prescribe meds for her. Some people have been successful by just sending photos to their vet, but they are regular "customers" for other pets.

It's good that she is still eating/drinking. She's not out of the woods yet, but I know you are doing everything you can for her.