Injured Hen - Please Help - Good News I hope

[sweetshoplady]

My sweet hen has her breastbone sticking out. There is a broken egg. This just happened in the past couple hours I think. When I brought her inside, she bled a lot and egg was dripping out of her.

She did drink a little bit of water.

Idon't know if something chased her or how she got injured.

Is she savable or should we cull her and eat her? I am pretty sure she's ok to eat as this is an injury not an illness.

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE:

We put Zsa Zsa in the shower and put warm wet compresses on her to help draw out the broken egg. She had a big broody style poop and lots of egg (I think) came out.

She pretty much stayed in one place. We would move her gently over to a clean place on the towel. She did drink lots of water and had a nice glass of milk. Today she was hungry and ate lots. And she layed a giant egg - like almost Turkey sized. This giant egg did have blood on it. I think this is a good sign, at least I really hope it is. She is such a sweet darling hen.

Any suggestions on the cut that's about 1/2" long? I'd like to somehow close it up. I have surgical tape. Would that close it to help it heal easier?

 

[PeeperKeeper]

How did injury occur? If by dog bite, I wouldn't eat her. If she is a "Special Chick" and you want to save her...
Clean out wound with a flush of normal saline into the wound site. she will have to be started on some kind of antibiotic...injection like Tylan 0.5cc IM once aday times 3-5 days. Or if she can drink and continue to drink go with water soluble antibx treatment.
See if you can replace breastbone under skin and feathers and apply neosporin oint ment to area. Area will have to washed and flushed daily and redressed with ointment as she will hve to heal from the inside out.
My question: If she was hit or squezzed hard enough to do this much damage...How much more internal trama is she suffering?
It's your call and only you know what you can handle.
So sorry this had to happen to one of your chicks.

 

[M@M@2four]

Quote:
Ditto---I was going to suggest the same things, but PeeperKeeper did an excellent job of telling you what to do!

 

[sweetshoplady]

It is definitely not a dog bite. We had a bad storm today and I think she slipped and hit something. The cut from her breast bone is 1/2" I brought her in to town tonight and she walked around my mom's yard, rather perkily. Then went under a tree and just stood there.

When I noticed that she wasn't feeling well, I picked her up and felt that her tummy was squishy and I could hear/feel the broken egg. That's when I noticed the blood.

I know that my garage floor/driveway can be slick if that's where she got hurt. There is a small scrape at the end of her left wing.

 

[spook]

Sounds more taumatic then a slip and fall. Sounds like it was more then what I'd want to deal with alone, do you have a avian vet around? If so, I'd be taking her first thing in the morning.

 

[sweetshoplady]

If it was just the cut, culling wouldn't be an option. Even as she walked around the bone went back in and the wound coagulated. I pulled out a needle and thread to stitch it up. Figure it may help it heal. I think I just soak the needle and thread in alcohol to sterilize it.

However, the crushed egg(s) inside her are what really concerns me.

The chickens and guineas do go out in the pasture with the horses and goats. I have no idea how she got hurt.

I really want to do the kindest thing.

I don't have the money right now to take a hen, regardless of how dear she is to me, to a vet. I wish money wasn't an issue, but it is. At least right now it is.

 

[sweetshoplady]

The update is in the first post. Has anyone stitched up one of their chickens?

 

[SpottedCrow]

Lots of folks have stitched up their birds...I'm not one of them though...

I never give up on a bird...but that's just me.

Is it just the skin that's broken or can you see the actual bone like she's on the table? I'd almost just leave it to heal on it's own.

As for the egg, I would almost say something tried to get her and she broke the egg trying to get away...It's good that you got the broken one out and the second one came out on it's own.

 

[sweetshoplady]

You can see the bone. The cut is right at the base of the breastbone. Only have to tear the skin there to see the bone.

She seems to be recuperating ok. I was really glad that she laid an egg. I am really hoping that she makes it because I really like her. Where we have her is very clean, so chance of infection is lower than anywhere else.