Injured chicken!

[Natashal8909]

I went out this morning and found a chicken had wedged itself in the fence between the coop. the other chickens could have been pecking on it but it looks like a lot of his back half was missing the feathers and had been skinned. she is still alive have her in the house and I have iodine poultry sell Vaseline cotton swabs and etc. Is there anything I should do for her or would it be kinder to put her down? No gouges it looks like the skin was torn on her leg in a lot of feathers are missing

 

[DiYMama540]

I know it looks awful, but how is she behaving? Still able to get around and eat/drink? Whether or not to cull I guess, depends on her quality of life. I've seen a lot of injuries on here that look horrible, but with the right care they heal fine.

Clean the area as best you can, and apply some ointment (without pain relief), I've used regular Bacitracin on a hen who got beat up recently. If you are comfortable with keeping her inside for a little while that would certainly be ideal. The biggest threat to her healing process would be the possibility of fly strike. Also, if she doesn't stay separated from your other birds in some way for a while, they will continue to pick on her.

Vitamins/electrolytes in her water is probably a good idea as well. Her body will need every boost it can get.

Best of luck! Keep us posted!

 

[Natashal8909]

I know it looks awful, but how is she behaving? Still able to get around and eat/drink? Whether or not to cull I guess, depends on her quality of life. I've seen a lot of injuries on here that look horrible, but with the right care they heal fine.

Clean the area as best you can, and apply some ointment (without pain relief), I've used regular Bacitracin on a hen who got beat up recently. If you are comfortable with keeping her inside for a little while that would certainly be ideal. The biggest threat to her healing process would be the possibility of fly strike. Also, if she doesn't stay separated from your other birds in some way for a while, they will continue to pick on her.

Vitamins/electrolytes in her water is probably a good idea as well. Her body will need every boost it can get.

Best of luck! Keep us posted!

She seems pretty lethargic but I don't know how long she was stuck like that. I gave her some straight-up poultry cell. She's letting me clean it and it said her without moving. however she will try to a little bit every now and then when I start picking her up I'm boiling some eggs to make some egg yolks and syringe feed some of that to her

 

[DiYMama540]

Very good...hopefully she is just worn out from the whole ordeal.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would clean the wound twice a day with the betadine or get some chlorhexidene or a wound spray like Vetericyn or Therycin, where you can just spray it. Then apply plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment twice a day to keep the wounds from drupying out. A lot depends on if she was compressed or cause any internal injuries while she was stuck.

Many times I have seen where a chicken was being bullied, and they would crawl into an area, and become stuck. It is also possible that while she was stuck, a predator on the other side of the fence chewed at her and pulled out feathers. So sorry this happened.

She may heal fine with good care, or she might have been injured so bad that she may need to be put down. If she can stand and take a few steps soon, that would be a good sign. If she is alert, that is another. When one is lodged between two objects, nerve damage can occur, which may affect her walking. I hope that she recovers from her wounds. Keep her in a quiet area, away from flies, separate for now, and offer food and water often. The electrolytes are very good for today.

 

[Natashal8909]

I would clean the wound twice a day with the betadine or get some chlorhexidene or a wound spray like Vetericyn or Therycin, where you can just spray it. Then apply plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment twice a day to keep the wounds from drupying out. A lot depends on if she was compressed or cause any internal injuries while she was stuck.

Many times I have seen where a chicken was being bullied, and they would crawl into an area, and become stuck. It is also possible that why she was stuck, a predator on the other side of the fence chewed at her and pulled out feathers. So sorry this happened.

She may heal fine with good care, or she might have been injured so bad that she may need to be put down. If she can stand and take a few steps soon, that would be a good sign. If she is alert, that is another. When one is lodged between two objects, nerve damage can occur, which may affect her walking. I hope that she recovers from her wounds. Keep her in a quiet area, away from flies, separate for now, and offer food and water often. The electrolytes are very good for today.

She has stood up on her own! it looks like her one leg might be broken maybe I don't know it's not working properly. I'll give it a day or two and see how it goes

 

[coach723]

This may help you determine if you have a fracture or not, and help with splinting if necessary: see attachment.
If she is unable to bear weight on it or maintain balance then a chicken sling might be helpful, but if it rubs on her wound then it may not work for her. I had one get stuck between a gap in some boards and it took about 36 hours for her to start moving around again.

 

[Natashal8909]

This may help you determine if you have a fracture or not, and help with splinting if necessary: see attachment.
If she is unable to bear weight on it or maintain balance then a chicken sling might be helpful, but if it rubs on her wound then it may not work for her. I had one get stuck between a gap in some boards and it took about 36 hours for her to start moving around again.

Yeah we're her wounds are there's no way a sling would workout. I kind of just have her laying on her good side for now

 

[coach723]

You may be able to use rolled up bath towels to help prop her up in a comfortable position so she can reach food and water. If she is unable to hold her head up, make sure she can't drown in the water.

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad that she is trying to stand. Pictures when you have them are always welcome. Here is a good thread with a lot of home made chicken chairs and slings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

They can be good for short periods to get them up and in front of food and water, and to keep them cleaner. Take them out often for breaks to stretch and sleep, and make sure they don’t injure themselves, since some do not tolerate them.