Injured hen

[ladybugs4evr]

Hello,
One of our hens was carried off by a neighbors dog. She has this open wound under her top feathers between her neck and right wing. There was a pile of under feathers where it happened. I was given the advice to spray the wound with iodine wound spray. What else should I be doing for our sweet girl? I should note this happened Sunday and she is still running around, leaving the coop and the pen. Seemingly ok as of now. Thank you for any advice!

 

[Isaac 0]

I would separate the hen, move her inside, into a warm, towel-lined area with feed and water provided. For the wound, trim the feathers around it, then you could flush it with saline, or chlorhexidine, using a large syringe, possibly with a needle equipped to achieve a higher PSI which will aid in debridement. After that, apply an antibacterial ointment to the wound, and leave the hen be for now. Apply the ointment as needed to keep the wound moist.

Since it is a dog bite, and it occurred a few days ago, getting her on antibiotics may be good. You can get Penicillin G at your feed store if anything else, or get Fish mox online, but will take longer to arrive.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-penicillin-injectable-500cc
https://www.walmartpetrx.com/p-2377-fish-mox-amoxicillin.aspx

 

[ladybugs4evr]

I would separate the hen, move her inside, into a warm, towel-lined area with feed and water provided. For the wound, trim the feathers around it, then you could flush it with saline, or chlorhexidine, using a large syringe, possibly with a needle equipped to achieve a higher PSI which will aid in debridement. After that, apply an antibacterial ointment to the wound, and leave the hen be for now. Apply the ointment as needed to keep the wound moist.

Since it is a dog bite, and it occurred a few days ago, getting her on antibiotics may be good. You can get Penicillin G at your feed store if anything else, or get Fish mox online, but will take longer to arrive.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-penicillin-injectable-500cc
https://www.walmartpetrx.com/p-2377-fish-mox-amoxicillin.aspx

Thank you so much for the input!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello,
One of our hens was carried off by a neighbors dog. She has this open wound under her top feathers between her neck and right wing. There was a pile of under feathers where it happened. I was given the advice to spray the wound with iodine wound spray. What else should I be doing for our sweet girl? I should note this happened Sunday and she is still running around, leaving the coop and the pen. Seemingly ok as of now. Thank you for any advice!

Is there a bad odor from the wound?
If not, then I would just use the Iodine Spray that you have been using. You can apply a little triple antibiotic ointment to the wound, but it may attract more dirt.
If she's been running around with the flock since Sunday (4 days?) and seems to be fine, then I would be inclined to leave her.
Not sure of your location or weather, but do monitor the wound for signs of maggot activity, odor/infection and watch that she's eating/drinking o.k.

I've had birds with injuries that stayed with the flock and I've never separated them - it just depends on the wound, whether they are getting picked at, severity of wound and location. I do check on wounds at least twice a day if left with the flock as well.