Injured Hen- First Aid!! UPDATE post #20

[rhaj]

I have a very sweet and gentle Ameraucana that my small backyard flock is NOT accepting. It kills me but I think when she is healed, I'm going to have to give her away

I can't let this happen again. They hurt her pretty badly.

This is what led up to where we are: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=417022 (thread does NOT include her getting hurt, just my attempt at getting them to accept her. To summarize, I used a metal dog cage in their run for 2 weeks, I moved them all to a different outbuilding for 2 weeks too. It was the first morning back in their old coop that this happened).

Yesterday AM, I went to open the coop and my sweet hen, Orchid, was dripping blood... all above and beside her tail, she was ripped apart pretty badly. I cleaned her up, I used peroxide and a betadine/water mixture, and put neosporin (no -caine products) on gauze and covered up what I could. I wrapped around her tail to hold the gauze on. Couldn't cover it all because I didn't want to bandage too close to where she poops. Her poop likes fine, btw. She was acting fine, walking around, eating, drinking. I put Duramycin in her water as a preventative. I also have Tylan 50 injectable if needed, but thought I'd save that in case she does develop an infection.

Today, I took off her bandage, although there is a part of gauze that is stuck to her wound and I don't want to pull too hard, so I'm not sure if I should just cut the rest off except for that piece and leave it??? I think it is stuck because- I forgot this part- I sprayed "New Skin" spray on the worst part because I was afraid of leaving it "open", didn't know if she needed stitches or anything and can't do that. So the gauze MAY be stuck to that part? I gave her some yogurt and some cooked egg. Today she isn't eating it, but it's a different kind, so I'll go back to the other kind and hope she eats it. She is still acting fine. Update: I gave her the other kind and she didn't seem interested. I got nervous so I gave her mealworms, which she WAS interested in and she chowed down on those, and ate some food (layer crumbles) as well. So that is good.

Today I notice her comb looks pale. (unless I am imagining it? I could be over-scrutinizing!) Is that an indication of infection? Would it happen that quickly? It's only been since yesterday morning. I also notice she is breaking with her beak open today. I am thinking it is possible she just got some yogurt or something caked in her nostrils though?? I tried to wipe her beak off with a wet paper towel, but she kept moving her head, which made it hard. Not sure how well I got it. Her beak is still open though. She is still acting normal though. Just read this on the "open beak" thread that is currently near mine: "Open mouth breathing can mean pain" So, that could explain.

So... HELP? Did I do anything wrong? If so, how bad was it? What should I do from here? What do I do about that little piece of gauze? Should I inject Tylan 50 or should I wait? If so how much? I believe she is a 1 1/2-ish year old Ameraucana hen if that helps.

All help is appreciated! I'd like to do what I can for her. I'm still a newbie, only having chickens since May of this year.

*I should mention she is NOT with my flock anymore. She is in a large storage container in my kitchen.*

 

[shay20]

Do not give her the tylan, you should take her off the duramycin too.
You can give her some electrolytes in her water.
for teh gauze i would soak that and see if you can get that off her gentaly.
keep cleaning the wounds with warm water and the stuff you are useing for uit.
you can give her bayer baby asprin, one a day or half twice a day to help for pain,
for the breathing with an open mouth, check her under sides near her breast to make sure there are no wounds, or her throaght.
she could be doing that from pain.

 

[rhaj]

Thanks so much Shay!!

I don't think it's from injury. They only got near her tail and her beak wasn't open yesterday.

How do you get a chicken to take a baby aspirin?? I would like to help her pain, but not sure how to go about it!

So, not a good idea to try to prevent infection then? I can switch her to gatorade. That is good right? I have some gatorade powder I cna try to add to her water.

edit: for cleaning the wounds, can I use a betadine/water mixture? or is just water better?

 

[shay20]

Quote:
yes you can use the betadine/water mixture.
it is a great to traet for infection, but the duramycin and tylan dont treat that type of infection, those treat only cold types.
there is a antibotic to treat wound infections, i have to look it up.
you dont have t treat for infection, unless you see an ifection comeing on, you can also put neosporin on the wounds too.
the baby asprin, she may just take it right out your hand.

 

[rhaj]

OHHH. Whoops!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

If there is an antibiotic that helps wounds that is hopefully available at TSC, I can get that, if it can be used as a preventative?

 

[shay20]

Quote:
yes you can use the betadine/water mixture.
it is a great to traet for infection, but the duramycin and tylan dont treat that type of infection, those treat only cold types.
there is a antibotic to treat wound infections, i have to look it up.
you dont have t treat for infection, unless you see an ifection comeing on, you can also put neosporin on the wounds too.
the baby asprin, she may just take it right out your hand.

i added

 

[rhaj]

Thank you!!!!

I checked, and I'm out of gatorade powder. I'll ask my hubby to stop for that and the baby aspirin on his way home.

 

[shay20]

your welcome.

 

[CMV]

I'm not going to offer any first aid advice because it looks like Shay20 covered it all. One hypothesis as to the open mouth breathing- could she be over-heated? She was acclimated to the cold and has been brought into a warm house. Maybe she's wilting from the heat?

 

[rhaj]

Although my house is much warmer than outside, it's not hot in here- I am cold! Just checked the thermom and it's about 63 in here, brrrr.