Injury to neck/waddle area? I can't tell what happened or what to do

[laurie9503]

5 month old brahma hen this morning showed up in the run with this wormy thing hanging from where her short waddle used to be. Upon closer inspection, I could see there was some sort of cut. It was black at the time, so the blood had dried. I took her inside the house and gently wet it to remove dirt and old blood. Then used q-tips with hydrogen peroxide to clean the area. I can't tell where the injury actually is. Is this a swollen waddle that was cut or torn. Does this look like another bird hurt her....I don't see them fighting ever. They like each other. I do have a big rooster, but he doesn't hurt the girls either. He mounts them and pecks in their general direction once in a while. I touched the wormy thing itself and she didn't mind that. But if I touch under her neck, she struggles. She doesn't seem to be acting sick. She runs around with the other hens as usual. I've got her in a crate in the house right now. She's sitting in there quietly. What should I do? See three pictures

Her left side, the normal uninjured side...this is what it should look like:

This is the front view

This is the injury on the left side. It appears the waddle is sort of ripped off, and there's some sort of tear or stab underneath. and what's that wormy looking thing hanging down?

 

[Imp]

Looks like maybe some skin was torn/cut. I think I'd keep it clean cover with something like neosporin with out "caine" type pain relievers. and keep her inside till it heals.

Good luck

Imp

Here's some wound info. Pay attention to post #16.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=203024

 

[laurie9503]

Thanks for the comment, that was helpful. Apparently, those dangling things that look like worms are torn feathers and waddle material. Someone told me that's what it looks like. I cleaned the wound with water, hydrogen peroxide and put some non-toxic neosporin on it. The other birds are trying to peck it so I separate her during the day when they are in the chicken run. Lilly is in a large kennel in the chicken house while the rest are in the chicken run. However, she's fine out in the yard free ranging...the other birds are too distracted looking for bugs and such to look at her. At night it's dark in the chicken house so they don't see it. But if I don't get her out of there in the morning before it's bright, she's in trouble, so I rush out there and either put them all out free ranging or put her in the kennel. I clean the wound daily, but I was instructed to leave it open to the air so it can harden and dry up. Blood still seeps from it if it's disturbed. I found the nasty area of fencing where she most likely was injured. We ran out of the regular high grade rabbit fence in a 8 foot section, so substituted a section of this other crappy stuff which has sharp ends. I went over the entire fence and chicken safe'd it. Stupid fences! Hate them and need them. Just wanted to note for everyone that an important thing I learned is: MYRHH is an excellent natural healing agent and antibiotic. I made a tincture of it from a myrhh tincture I bought at the co-op. Don't put it on full strength...dilute it first. I'm using this in place of the hydrogen peroxide and neosporin now that the wound is starting to heal.

 

[Imp]

That's good that it is healing.

Imp