Hen with side gash from rooster

Fade2blue

Hatching
Aug 4, 2023
3
0
9
I have a 6 month old blue star hen that has a 2 inch long gash i front of it's right leg. Our rooster who is too big was on top of her and slipped off I guess cutting her open. Im certain this was the cause as his right spur being bloody is what made me check the flock for injuries. Our hens are in hardware cloth fencing so no other predators could have caused this. There's not much bleeding from the wound. It looks like the cavity goes all the way up her torso.
We've cleaned the wound in an epsom salt bath. Then used teramycin, followed by hydro-gel covered with a bandage held in place with self stick wrap

We moved her inside so the pen is just pine shavings vs. the sand in the run. She's eating and drinking normaly but with somewhat watery and green poop. I'm not sure what to do. Is this a punctured air sac? Should it be stitched up? I cant get the bandage to apply much pressure in the area without partially wrapping her upper leg. I'm not sure what else to do.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20230802_214956536_HDR.jpg
    IMG_20230802_214956536_HDR.jpg
    522.7 KB · Views: 53
  • IMG_20230802_215041108.jpg
    IMG_20230802_215041108.jpg
    475.7 KB · Views: 14
  • IMG_20230802_215014854.jpg
    IMG_20230802_215014854.jpg
    357.2 KB · Views: 14
  • IMG_20230803_132521783.jpg
    IMG_20230803_132521783.jpg
    571.2 KB · Views: 13
How deep is the laceration? I would try to get some chlorhexidene or Hibiclens, which is a hospital used antiseptic that is rinsed with water. Then Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic is good to cover the wound. Hydrogel dressings are supposed to be very good, so that is also fine to use. I can’t really see a whole lot in the picture. I would do as much as I could for the hen. Clean old towels can be used for or over bedding to keep pine shavings out of her wound. Several times a day, I would offer a bowl of moistened feed, a bit of scrambled egg bits, and you can a later ate with a little tuna or ground meat. I make everything watery to get more fluids into an injured chicken. Keep her away from flies, as they can cause maggots to get into wounds. Let us know how she is getting along. Trim and file the rooster’s spurs to prevent further injuries.
 
The cut is just skin deep but I can see the feather roots on the other side of the cut. I could probably stick 2 fingers in. along the "wall" of the cavity. There's an area about half the size of a dollar bill inside where the skin isn't attached to the muscle wall in which makes me think it might be a lacerated air sac but I'm not sure if those are deeper or just below the skin.
 
Last edited:
I tried to get a better picture of the cut from the rear. The purple line in the diagram is about where its split open. I don't know if the cut will seal since theres no bleeding and i can't be sure theres enough pressure to hold the skin flaps together. It probably needs stitches to hold it closed. Is there a list of avian vets in Oklahoma? Im only finding beers for 4 leg pets.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20230805_101805682~2.jpg
    IMG_20230805_101805682~2.jpg
    320.1 KB · Views: 7
  • IMG_20230805_000256020.jpg
    IMG_20230805_000256020.jpg
    307.3 KB · Views: 8

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom