impaled chicken

[peeper89]

that need vet!

 

[slkey]

There is some blood at the end of the spear.

 

[slkey]

It definitely went all the way through, she is kind of just sitting there. My son tried to offer her some food by hand, she stood and walked up the perch. (unstable) I guess the question is do I remove the "spear"?

 

[Flockandfowl46]

Hmmm...im sorry but the stick needs to come out whether the chick survives or not she can't live with that in her.just give her supportive care and have bloodstop on hand she may already have internal damages so it's kind of a crap shoot.if you don't think you can do it yourself I would get her to the vet asap regardless of what happens hun she is suffering. I would not contemplate too much longer

 

[True Patriot]

That definitely should be seen by a vet. If the injury itself is survivable the secondary infection may not be. If a vet isn't an option and you have to remove it. 1) it must come out in exactly the direction it went in. 2) be prepared for major bleeding. 3) get a broad spectrum antibiotics and keep her on it for at least 7 days. I wish you the best of luck with her.

 

[BreanneRN]

If you are unable to find a vet to remove it, remember to cut the end off as close to the body as you can before pulling it through in the direction it went in... Can you tell where it initially penetrated?

 

[Latestarter]

You don't need a vet... you need to capture the chicken and cover it's face with a towel to keep it quiet and calm. You then need to take a pair of wire nippers/cutters and cut the stalk as close to skin level as you can on the THINNER side of the stalk. That may be above or below. Whichever is the thinner side, that's the one to cut close to the skin surface. Then grasp the other side and pull it out/through to remove it.

Once it's removed, assess the damaged area for damage; bone, muscle, tendon, blood vessels. If bleeding (which I suspect will not be the case), some blood stop powder or sugar, corn starch, etc to help it coagulate and stop. Then apply either blukote or triple antibiotic ointment, iodine, vetricyn, or whatever antibacterial solution you may have available. Make sure she can move her wing naturally. Watch her for a few days to make sure she's recovering properly.

Depending on the extent of the injury, you may want to remove her from the group for a few days, keeping in mind that in doing so, you're almost guaranteeing that she's gonna get picked on even more when you try to re-insert her.

ETA: Best wishes for success and a happy ending.

 

[trudyg]

I agree with Latestarter. It needs to come out and her way sounds best--unless (I'm not familiar with that kind of grass)-- the stalk has barbs, then it may be better to pull so that it acts like it passed all the way thru. Pulling out the wrong way would cause more damage if there are barbs. I'm thinking of how I'd pull out a fish hook, nip it off close to the skin and push the barbed end on thru.

 

[slkey]

Thanks so much for encouraging me to do what I knew had to be done. The "spear" is out and she is resting in a separate location. No bleeding, but I used the antibiotic cream. It is by no means a small wound though. If she does make it, it would be a miracle and she would have a new name..

 

[True Patriot]

Glad to hear she's doing well. I would closely monitor for a few days for signs of infection. I hope she makes a full recovery.