Injured Hen

[Friendly_Lurker]

Friday, I found my young hen with her head stuck in the fence on the outside. She had a huge cut on her side, maybe three inches of skin missing and muscle with a large cut in it. Her head was swollen, too. For the first few hours she slept and didn’t raise her head. I washed out her cut with iodine and water, and put Neosporin and gauze and vet wrap on it. It isn’t bleeding. She won’t peck at anything, I’ve been feeding her sugar water and egg with a syringe. Her head isn’t swollen anymore. Do I need to glue her skin shut over the cut? There’s a whole lot of muscle showing and I don’t know if it will heal by itself. Do I need to do anything else?

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

@Miss Lydia
@casportpony
@chrissynemetz
@sourland

 

[sourland]

A lot depends upon the size of the wound. Skin lesions in poultry generally heal well as long as you keep the flies away. They heal from the outside inward so it can take a while if the lesion is very large. Coating them with antibiotic ointment keeps them from drying and helps in the healing. Good luck.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

A lot depends upon the size of the wound. Skin lesions in poultry generally heal well as long as you keep the flies away. They heal from the outside inward so it can take a while if the lesion is very large. Coating them with antibiotic ointment keeps them from drying and helps in the healing. Good luck.

Thank you. Do I need to do anything with her food? She won't peck at anything, so she's only been eating raw egg and sugar.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Healing wishes for your dear hen.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Do I need to put butterfly bandages on it? I’ve been keeping it covered with gauze and disinfectant and Vet Wrap.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

I'm going to take her to the vet. My vet, he's so nice, he's not a chicken vet but he'll look at my birds for cookies.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

The vet told me that if I keep her alive, she'll live. I got some Vetericyn, and she started eating. She's walking around and talking.