Hen with wound under wing

[Relleoms]

I discovered a wound under Stella’s wing this morning while she was in the nesting box. After dark this evening, I brought her in the house to inspect further. I washed it with soap & water and then sprayed with microcynAH. She’s sleeping in a crate now, separate from the flock, but should I keep her isolated tomorrow? Other than looking a bit ragged, she’s otherwise well; eating, pooping, laying, etc. It looks like a mating injury (we re-homed a young cockerel this past weekend) but I’m unsure what to do next. Is it healing? Should I continue to isolate? Do I need to clean further? Or do I just put her back with her flock and let her be? Thank you in advance for your advice!

 

[micstrachan]

I agree it looks like a mating injury. Can you keep the cockerel separate for now?

I would apply antibiotic ointment to soften the scab and hopefully prevent infection. If nobody is picking on her and she’s feeling well, I’d keep her with the flock.

Also, what’s the fly population like there? I would think she’d be at risk for fly strike, so keep a close watch on that. Good luck!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yikes that's deep. Glad you are getting rid of the rooster. I would return her if no one is picking on her and she's acting mostly normal. I would check the wound every few days. Your hen should be able to keep it clean from maggots, but keep an eye on it. It should heal up. Use bluekote if you see any picking on it or blood.

 

[50-45-1]

You will definatly want to keep her separate from the flock until that wound is hidden by feathers. They will peck at it
Also keep it compleatly covered with salve. Something sticky like bag balm or corona. That will keep the flies off an keep the wound from drying out. This is going to take a while to heal back closed.

 

[micstrachan]

You will definatly want to keep her separate from the flock until that wound is hidden by feathers. They will peck at it
Also keep it compleatly covered with salve. Something sticky like bag balm or corona. That will keep the flies off an keep the wound from drying out. This is going to take a while to heal back closed.

Wait, but I thought the wound was hidden by the wing?
Sorry, if it’s exposed, I agree you need to keep her separated. She can be in a crate within the run.

 

[Relleoms]

I agree it looks like a mating injury. Can you keep the cockerel separate for now?

I would apply antibiotic ointment to soften the scab and hopefully prevent infection. If nobody is picking on her and she’s feeling well, I’d keep her with the flock.

Also, what’s the fly population like there? I would think she’d be at risk for fly strike, so keep a close watch on that. Good luck!

Do you think the scab will fall off on its own, or should I try to pull it off before applying Neosporin? My thought is if it’s got a scab on it, it’s healing on its own and I should leave it alone, but I want to be sure! Flies are pretty active right now, so I’ll definitely watch for flystrike. I keep the coop & run as clean as I can, but we’ve had a rain lately and they seem to have exploded in number! Thanks for your help!

 

[Relleoms]

You will definatly want to keep her separate from the flock until that wound is hidden by feathers. They will peck at it
Also keep it compleatly covered with salve. Something sticky like bag balm or corona. That will keep the flies off an keep the wound from drying out. This is going to take a while to heal back closed.

The wound is hidden under the wing, which is why I think she’s had it a few days and I haven’t noticed. But I’ll keep it covered with neosporin! I also plan to look into a saddle or apron. Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Do you think the scab will fall off on its own, or should I try to pull it off before applying Neosporin? My thought is if it’s got a scab on it, it’s healing on its own and I should leave it alone, but I want to be sure! Flies are pretty active right now, so I’ll definitely watch for flystrike. I keep the coop & run as clean as I can, but we’ve had a rain lately and they seem to have exploded in number! Thanks for your help!

I'm big on leaving stuff alone and not doing too much. Chickens in general are good at healing. I wouldn't be pulling off scabs or even trying to soften them. Nature usually knows what it is doing. It's hard for humans to leave it be sometimes. I only step in if it appears it isn't healing or the bird looks sick, which so far has been never.

 

[micstrachan]

i wouldn’t remove the scab unless it starts looking infected and you have to clean underneath it.

 

[micstrachan]

Yeah, it’s your call on whether to use ointment. I would if she were mine, but oldhenlikesdogs has much more experience than I do.