Is this survivable? *WARNING: Graphic*

[EggieRowe]

I already lost one chick today that had an umbilical hernia at lunch. I come home from work and find one of the remaining two chicks under the coop stairs. I have no idea what happened to this chick, but it looks like something tried to eat it. I took him in, cleaned out the dirt and shavings, and smeared the raw spots with neosporin. He was chirping like crazy at first, now he is gasping. I don't see any organs, but it looks very bad. I can't imagine how he feels - should I cull him now or could be recover from this?

Front

Side; bare around to back

Under wing

 

[Zonoma]

Yes. Isolate the injured chick and clean it gentle with a warm cloth, let it dry, and then spray with BlueKot. Add some electrolytes to the water and some scrambled eggs to eat. Don't worry if it doesn't eat for 24 hours but dip its beak if it doesn't drink. I recommend bringing it in the house for a few days.

I had one who was scalped like that (only more so) and he is alive and well today.

Editted to add: Whatever you do, DON'T USE antiobiotic cream with pain killers. NO PAIN KILLERS. They will kill the chick.

 

[Zonoma]

http://www.horse.com/item/blue-kote...code=GPHORSE&gclid=CLDn1Mziw7YCFc47Ogod2TUAYw << BluKote

 

[melissaG]

Yes. Isolate the injured chick and clean it gentle with a warm cloth, let it dry, and then spray with BlueKot. Add some electrolytes to the water and some scrambled eggs to eat. Don't worry if it doesn't eat for 24 hours but dip its beak if it doesn't drink. I recommend bringing it in the house for a few days.

I had one who was scalped like that (only more so) and he is alive and well today.

Editted to add: Whatever you do, DON'T USE antiobiotic cream with pain killers. NO PAIN KILLERS. They will kill the chick.

Ditto, and bluekot rules! And doesn't sting even.. or so the horses and chickens tell me ^^
GL!

 

[brahmabreeder]

I would put him on anti-biotics if you want to save him/her. If you are raising to breed/show then I would cull. Just keep it clean and put this one some place separate so the others don't bite at it. Doesn't look too bad to me but time will tell. I'm not sure how hard it would be to put some type of wrap on it but I would try. That way since it's starting to get nice and warm and the buggies will be out. You don't want flies laying eggs on it

!

 

[brahmabreeder]

Yes I third the bluekot

 

[Zonoma]

That way since it's starting to get nice and warm and the buggies will be out. You don't want flies laying eggs on it

!

Good call. Eew.

 

[chooks4life]

Hello! I don't know if they sell Lucas's pawpaw ointment where you live but I had a chick skin its thigh, and I put a layer of pawpaw ointment on followed by a layer of petroleum jelly, every day or so, and left it freeranging, and it healed fine. The wound shrank and shrank and you'd never know it happened. Also I had a rooster and a hen who got their crops torn out by foxes. He was torn from throat to breast and got gangrene and was breathing, crowing and dribbling water out of a hole in his chest. I only put pine tar/Stockholm tar on him. No antibiotics, no drugs, nothing artificial. The chooks survived fine without a scar, except for the missing wattles and crops. Pine tar is a potent natural painkiller and infection killer. Garlic's a potent natural antibiotic that doesn't kill healthy bacteria. I didn't bandage the wounds because that seems to cause more problems than it fixes. Maggots couldn't cope with either of the treatments I just mentioned. I don't see how an injury to a breeder would mean you need to cull it, though. What did you mean by that? I bet you could show it without problems if it heals anything like the chooks I mentioned did.. Minus the obviously missing wattles of course. No scars were able to be seen even when you parted the feathers.

 

[EggieRowe]

Thank you so much for all the tips! Unfortunately the chick passed this morning while I was in the shower. Thought it was doing better because it was eating and drinking last night, but it must have been too much. I have isolated the remaining chick and the broody from the flock.

 

[melissaG]

I'm so sorry to hear that, hoping the other one does well for you! GL