How to help this chicken?

[Pinkmegamonster]

Hi. I was recently travelling for the holidays and found a chicken in the middle grassy median of a major highway. I stopped and backed up a good Mile to save her. Trucks were blowing past and there was strong wind, I thought she might be dead at first but she was alive. I picked her up and have had her 3 days now. Injuries were as follows. The skin of her neck was completely peeled back to reveal her neck organs, but no damage other than missing skin which has already started to grow back, drooping head, although she occasionally lifts it, and left eye is closed and was bloody, I have not touched it, the scabs are almost falling off. She won't eat or drink on her own, so I force feed her yogurt/feed with a spoon and she does drink water when I encourage her. Is there anything else that is suggested? I don't have much funds to work with so a vet is out of the question, she cries when we touch her neck. She layed one brown egg the night I found her. She has layed other eggs but they are soft shelled and no good. I have never had chickens so I'm not sure what to do. Any advice to keep this pretty girl alive? Assume she fell of a slaughter truck. Don't know what kind of chicken she is, she appeared to be a rooster at first. She jumped out of the box one day so she has a little energy. I have people that want her but I was told a sick chicken should not be placed with other chickens or they will attack her. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks

 

[demonic]

I am not experienced with injured birds. But try to feed her helpful foods like hard boiled egg yolks. Also put electrolytes in her water and for her droopy neck try giving her a Vitamin E tablet. Can we get a picture to further diagnose and help?

 

[black_cat]

Taking pictures would be a great help. Keep her inside, warm in a dog crate if you have one, with a towel on the bottom. If you have gatorade, mix it into her water. If there's a tractor supply or other farm store near you, you can go and get some electrolyte mix especially for chickens. Do you know anyone with chickens? It may be impractical for you to buy a whole bag of feed, but she will do best on a pellet or crumble grower or layer feed, with some eggshells on the side for extra calcium.

 

[WhySayWhat]

A small bag of chicken feed would help her with some energy. Check Craigslist and NextDoor (an app) to see if anyone nearby has chickens and is willing to give you a bit to help her out? Neosporin (without any pain med in it) will help her wounds. Warm water with a little sugar, a pinch of salt, and baking soda (double check exact amounts, but this is the "I don't have any poultry electrolytes" home version). Calcium is needed for solid shelled eggs, in the regular flock, we feed oyster shell, but I know some people use a calcium supplement (but I don't have the info on that one).

 

[Pinkmegamonster]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. Here is a pic of her from yesterday. Her left eye is scabbed shut. I can try to get a better picture of the neck wound. Today she is drinking lots of water and still needs to be force fed. I will try the new suggestions though.

 

[Pinkmegamonster]

Here are her injuries. Damage to left eye, and her neck open wound has closed but has some yellowish pus on it. Cleaned the wound today. She won't let me touch it, she cries in pain. Poor baby.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Poor baby!

You have gotten great advice here. Her wounds need to be cleaned, if possible, with warm water or saline rinse. Use a syringe, maybe? Antibiotic ointment w/out pain reliever can be applied. Looks like her eye is gone. I can't image how badly that must hurt.

Honestly, it doesn't look as bad as many, many I have seen on here. But infection is a definite problem.

@Eggcessive
@azygous
@Wyorp Rock
@coach723

I know you folks get tagged all the time, but this hen fell off a truck and needs more help than I can offer.

 

[black_cat]

I’m not able to see the pictures (bad wifi, unfortunately) but a good place to start with any wound is to clip the feathers that are around it. It won’t hurt her and will allow you to see the would better.

 

[azygous]

Every single response you've gotten are excellent advice. I'll only add one to it - put sugar in her water. This will boost her energy levels by raising her glucose. This will give her incentive to eat on her own.

She's a production breed so your guess she fell off a slaughter truck is a good one. Chickens manage to fall off these trucks all the time. Bouncing off the highway at 65mph isn't always survivable, so she's lucky to be alive.
You need to overrule her protests and clean her wounds daily and keep them moist with wound ointment.

If you aren't prepared to keep her, perhaps you can ask around to see if anyone knows someone with a flock who will take her in and finish treating her wounds.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you get a closer pic of the pus in the neck wound? Cleaning that with some chlorhexidene could help. Even though it hurts to handle her wounds, they should be cleaned and plain antibiotic ointment should be applied. If there is an abscess with pus, it helps to open it and drain it. Is she eating and drinking? Are you feeding chicken feed?