Missing wing

[LunaChix]

I had some 3 week old chicks--just getting new feathers- that were attacked Friday night-rather Saturday night @ 1:30 a.m. by I believe a oppossum. The varmit killed one of my chicks (broken neck) and ripped one wing off another by pulling it through the bars of the cage. The chix ws still very much alive.(2 others were untouched). I brought the entire cage in my kitchen. Saturday a.m. the newly named Lucky was still alive. Started googling different forums trying to find help. Stubled on this site, and joined immediatley.
Here is what I have done: On Sat. a.m. put neosporin on missing limb area/ pulled out feathers/skin immediately adjacent. Chix is up and hopping around and protested when moved to her (?) own cage. Other 2 also put up a "peeping protest". Went to Feed Store and purchased Red-Kote which I immediatey doused area with. Crushed up a human amoxicllian tablet, put in water and dusted crumbles with. Put Lucky in heat lamp/covered cage. Lucky is up and eating and drinking since incident happenned. What I am concerned about is there is about 1/4-1/2 inch of exposed thin part of a wing(?) bone exposed. No sign of infection--I have been putting the red kote on 2x day-except this a.m. when I put onneosporin.) Do I "trim" back this bone to where skin "leaves" off. Lucky is still eating and moving around cage to feed. I did not have any regular hay, so I put Timothy Hay (which I have done since bringing them home 3 weeks ago from Feed Store) and he goes pushes that aside with his feet look for wayward crumbles.
Any ideas about bone? Lucky seems to be in no pain? Also since when S/He hears the other peeps and they hear Lucky everyone goes "crazy". Could Lucky be a rooster and not a hen?
thanks to all who respond!

 

[farrier!]

I hope someone who has done this before answers.....but yes bare bone is not good.

Sounds like you are doing a great job!

 

[LunaChix]

Also, does anyone know if Red-Kote can be toxic. Lucky is preening her feathers, even those around her missing wing and is getting the red lote on her beak. I also read on a different post that neosporin is not good for chix if swallowed. Should I wash all the stuff off Lucky? S/He is quite coated. I just cooked an egg and put some in her crumble dish.
I also got a better look at her leg on injured side. It is missing some skin/feathers that must have come off with the wing. It is a 1"x 1 1/2" area. Seems to be clean (except for the antibiotic and red kote).
This Lucky bird is up and about like there was not a traumatic injury.
It has been over 60 hours since event. No sign of shock...Should I trim feathers that cover the bit of protruding bone?

 

[Chickenmaven]

The only advice I have is for you to do a Search under Emergencies/Diseases. I know that there have been recent trhreads on this.
Good luck!

 

[LunaChix]

Thanks for the advise about past posts. Seems like someone else's chicken had a wing tore off recently . I am concerned about the 1 1/2 inch white bone that is left behind...Suggstions/ideas anyone?
thanks

 

[threehorses]

Sounds like a raccoon. They pull body parts through cages. Put a radio that plays talk all night, not music, in your barn next to your babies. It's not 100% but it helps.

On the bone - is it only on the end of the wing? The triangular part? Any chance you could get us a picture?

OK very long article warning

WOUND CARE - by Nathalie Ross
Here's my usual way of doing wounds. It's worked for some pretty extreme wounds, including one 2x1 wound that went all the way down to the silver covering of the spine of one bird.

First, gather materials:
VetWrap or similar self-adhesive wrap.
gauze wrapping type bandages or squares (depending on what you have to bandage)
non-stick pads (depending on what you have to wrap)
antibiotic ointment (neosporin, Swat for horses if you have flies around)
hydrogen peroxide (h202)
iodine
warm water
a needleless syringe - preferably a big one like 30 cc's
suture material if you need it (this ideally should be left to a vet)
a small pair of scissors like cuticle scissors are helpful
large scissors
(duct tape in some cases)
a good safe blood clotter. I prefer Clotisol as it's not poisonous and clots IMMEDIATELY even in high blood situations. You can even use it inside of beaks. It's water based, lasts ages for a small bottle. Seriously - ages. You can pretty much only get it online, but it's a must-have for a cabinet. Once you use it, you won't go back.
q-tips
papertowels
clean clothes that can be stained

DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO TREAT BY YOURSELF:
First, an important note. It would be ideal if, as poultry owners faced with an injured bird, that the bird be taken to a qualified veterinarian who can not only dress the wounds, access the damage, but also prescribe the correct antibiotics and follow up as necessary. This, first and foremost, is what I recommend for any wound situation that is more than minor. Please take that to heart.

If instead you decide to treat the wound yourself, here are some basic instructions on how to do so. Note that every wound, every case, is different. Use your common sense and imagination on determining when this protocol must be flexed to fit your situation.

PREPARATION:
First, examine the bird and find all wounds. Use your big and little scissors to trim feathers away from the area. Try to only take as many as could touch the wound, no more - they need feather protection and the feathers won't grow back til next moult. Also be careful, if wing feathers are near, not to cut the living flesh part inside feather quills.

If the wounds are under the wing, sometimes you can simply wrap the wing in a t-shirt to keep whatever touches the wing clean. Baby tshirts would be great for this. Neck part at the top of the wing, fitted with a little duct tape on the cloth (not tight please) and just tie the other end of the tshirt.

Make sure to look very carefully against the skin for puncture wounds. There might not be look, and puncture wounds are tricky and hard to find. Note the location and severity of all wounds.

Cleansing:
Take your syringe and fill with H202 (straight) or h202 slightly diluted with water. Use the syringe to vigously clean the wound area including in the wounds. If the wounds are puncture wounds, use diluted water/h202, not straight. You only use h202 the first time as it tends to burn tissues and keep them from healing if you continue. But it's great for bubbling out bits of dirt from inside the wound. Do this cleansing about three times per wound.

Follow up by rinsing out the h2o2 with a water/iodine mixture made to be just the color of slightly strong iced tea. You want it warm. Fill your same syringe that you used with the h2o2 and flush the wounds rather vigorously.

At this time, if there are any pieces of flesh that need to be removed, remove them. This is where I use a q-tip dipped in a bottle-cap full of clotisol (so you don't contaminate the original bottle).

Doing this on a table that's ok to stain is best. I've done this on my truck's tail gate as I can clean it afterwards. Place a lot of papertowels under the birds for these two cleansing phases to keep the drainoff from going everywhere.

Use another clean papertowel to dry the wound. You want to leave some iodine solution inside the wound - it doesn't have to be skin-dry. Just dry enough for some ointment to stick.

DRESSING:
Once the wound is well cleaned, then you'll want to dress it. I use Neosporin and q-tips most often for this job. If there are flies in the area at all, I will use Neosporin inside the wounds (ointment) and use Swat wound ointment for horses instead. (It has fly repellent that's safe for poultry in it.) I fill punctures with neosporin. If they're deep, I stick the top of the tube into the wound (and throw away the tube after I'm done with everything). Pack it. You usually want air in a wound, but puncture wounds can sometimes heal on top first and leave a pocket inside. The antibiotic ointment (not creme) is a little insurance against too much bacteria and thus abcesses.

If the wound is one that absolutely must be stitched, then pack it with the antibiotic ointment. If you're using a flyproof ointment, wipe the wound and then use the fly-proof on top. Otherwise just wipe slightly so there's a little antibiotic ointment on the important top part of the wound. You don't want to stray too far from just the wound, keep the bird dry.

On closing wounds with sutures. Puncture wounds shouldn't be sutured. Bad bacteria love a place where there's no oxygen. Suturing closes the wound and encourages festering within. As much air as you can get to a wound, the better, except that the interior of punctures should have some antibacterial action going on.

I've had some serious wounds in my flock before. The only time I've sutured was when a very large flap of skin was torn from the front of a neck (read as 3 inches by 10 inch flap). Another recent case involves a possible rather large hole in a crop which, should it leak food, should be sutured. Otherwise try to leave things open. Poultry can regrow an amazing amount of skin back if there's muscle underneath. New skin will granulate and grow in to fill in gaps that would surprise you.

On the areas that are just uncovered, I usually use antibiotic creme (versus ointment) because it's water based. Sometimes I'll just put a thin smear of antibiotic ointment, however, if that's what I have. Or fly-preventative ointment if there are flies in the area.

DRESSING WITH BANDAGES:
If at all possible, try not to cover with bandages. The average bandage keeps air out and moisture in and not in a good way. If you must bandage (a dirt floor area, extreme fly issues, etc) then try to keep the bandage to a minimum and very airy. That's why I'm not a big fan of nonstick bandages. They tend to trap moisture and cause a very warm airless area. But sometimes you have to use them. If so, cover the wound with the bandage. Wrap twice with very gauzey gauze wrap. Then put one layer only of VetWrap over. If you must secure (to keep the bandage from falling, for example) you can use very thin strips of duct tape like you would tape a birthday present. Using as little as possible, but a very strong tape like duct tape, helps let the air in.

Sometimes I've even used just one layer of a very clean paper towel rather than use a non-stick. Afterwards, if you have to remove it, you can soak with warm water and pick the bits out if it sticks. Gauze tends to embed in wound seepage.

Think out of the box when it comes to covering areas that are wounded. With my geese who had multiple puncture and surface wounds on their chest, and a high fly area, I used one white sheet that I formed into a sort of front-bib and tied behind their back. T-shirts are also awesome to cover a bird's body. Buy the appropriate size, slip the neck over their neck, their legs through the arm holes, cut two holes through which you slip their wings. Gather the bottom end (cut so that you don't cover their vent) at the top of their back and duct-tape the cloth to make it stay fitted. T-shirts are very airy, cheap, washable, and absorbent.

SUTURES:
If your bird requires stitches, suture material with thread attached can be found at many feedstores or purchased online ahead of time. The size you want is for dogs and cats. Sutures aren't stitched like a pillow case, but each stitch is its own knot. The semi-circular needles of suture needles are ideal for going into and out of the skin. Note: stitching is not easy - skin is tough, usually the needle is slippery, and it's rather tough to do. Overestimate the amount of suture material you need as you'll make knots and cut off the excess bit sticking up.

MAINTENANCE:
Many wounds, if properly cleaned and dressed and left airy, do not need much maintenance. Oddly, one of the best ways of telling whether or not a wound is doing well is by using your nose. Smell the wound at the time of cleaning. Wounds have a particular almost sweet but not cloyingly sweet smell. Remember the smell. Then smell the wound daily to see if you smell rot. If you do, there's not enough air to the wound and possible infection going on.

Wounds will seep a little - that's natural and the body's way of dealing with wounds. Usually the seepage will be mostly clear and smell of wound. However, if there's any opaqueness to it, or clotted texture, that's infection. Also there will be some natural inflammation as the body tries to bully off the bad bacteria and bring in healing materials to the wound. However excessive inflammation, discoloration (especially black or green), should be noted.

If a wound needs cleaning or examining, take off what bandages you can gently. If they stick to the seepage from the wound, use warm water to soak the bandage parts remaining away from the drainage.

Then examine the wound, determine what needs to be done, and redress from the iodine stage onward.

ANTIBIOTICS:
Many wounds do not require additional antibiotics other than topical (on the skin) antibiotic dressings. However in the case of animal bites that weren't caught immediately, cat bites, and wounds that have been sitting or are particularly deep, it may be a good idea to treat with antibiotics. If you make this decision, please be sure to get one that is appropriate for wounds. The packages at the feedstore are not.

Penicillin G Procaine (Aqueous Pen-G) is commonly found at many feedstores in their fridge section. It's awesome to keep in your own fridge for a rainy day. It's a very thick antibiotic and requires a thicker gauge needle. I would use no thinner than a 22 gauge, preferably something more thick at a length of .75 to 1 inch. At many feedstores, you can buy 3 cc syringes that are together already with needles. These are nice to have on hand as well as that 30 cc syringe that you'll use to flush wounds.

Instructions on how to give an injection are available separately as well as how to treat with antibiotics. If you do choose to use injectable antibiotics, be prepared to go the entire recommended course. Penicillin G Procaine is a concentrated penicillin (they're not all created equally) and only is required to be given every other day. Based on the type of antibiotic you expect to use, buy that many syringes plus two.

HEALING:
Birds in healing mode need help being stabilized, nourished, and hydrated. We all know how delicate birds can be, but it's surprising how resilient they can be at times. However, wounds will often depress a bird or cause them to go into shock. A stressed or shocked bird may not be able to digest foods they're commonly given. For that reason, I recommend only giving easily dissolved feeds when a bird is in the first stages of recovery. Think crumbles, pellets, etc. You don't want to make a drastic change in their diet ever, much less when they're already stressed. If a bird is reluctant to eat, try wetting the pellets/crumbles. You can also add a boiled egg yolk (one per six cups of food) mashed into the crumbles. I like to also give probiotics (yogurt, Fastrack, Probiocs, acidophilus, or whatever I have available) during this time to combat a secondary intestinal disorder from stress and change of way of eating. Yogurt is simple. You can mix 1 tablespoon per two cups of feed.

The added protein in an egg yolk helps the bird to heal. Adding a capsule of vitamin E to that mash (one per 2 cups of mash) also helps healing. If the birds are stressy, or not able to eat normally, I'll use a vitamin/electrolyte mix in their water for the first few days. I never ever use an oral antibiotic for wound treatment. Period.

CONCLUSION:
It's unfortunately common that poultry are victims of predation and wounds. They are delicate and, with their ultra-fast metabolisms, can die readily if they decide to. Remember that an injured bird can often have internal injuries we never see. If you lose them, just remember you tried your best. However you might be surprised, with proper wound-care, how many of these birds recover to absolutely normal lives. Just be patient as healing takes a while. Usually separate the birds, but if they can be near their peers they take heart from it and will do better.

Good luck with your flock, and I hope this information has been helpful.
Nathalie Ross
(Please do not reproduce without permission of the author. The author is not a veterinarian and does not intend to dispense information that at all should replace the advice of a qualified avian vet.)

 

[LunaChix]

First of all, Thank you, threehorses! I had seen your same post that you had sent to another poster with similar problem. I am not sure how to attach a picture to a "forum" as I have never done it. I am trying to get ahold of a firend who will be able to walk me through the process!
In the meantime, the entire wing except the ball joint that would be equivilant to our shoulder is MIA. From that there is like a round ball of joint/muscle that is pretty well covered with skin and feathers except where the bones extending down would be. At first glance after incident, I thought it ws a "clean" break. However, I soon noticed that there was one slim bone piece that extends out about 1/2 inch. There is no flesh or anything on this bone tip. I can see that on the end of the bone tip where it ws broken off there is the dark red color of the marrow. There has been absolutely no bleeding since the initial injury. At this moment there has been no sign of infection.
"Lucky" is still grooming his feathers--new ones are replacing the baby down. He appears to be eating/drinking normally. It has been over 60 hours since he was attacked.
Any thoughts?

 

[threehorses]

It'd been nice if the wing would have been a clean disconnection at the joint, like a pinion only wayyy too high up. If I did anything to the bone, I'd disconnect it at the joint - but honestly that's veterinary area right there to me. That joint end and the way the skin is would be a nice place to clean up and have the wound close. This is one of the very rare exceptions where I would put a stitch, but only if the joint were clean of any other bone, and only one or two so that the wound drains and could be flushed out. Then really I'd have to be there and see it to make that decision.

And you're welcome by the way.

There have been so many injuries that I decided just to rewrite an article I wrote ages ago and cut and paste it. that way no one would be left out of any information that I'd forgget. The advice is the distillation of much good and bad advice that I've culled to just the advice that has repeatedly and *unfailingly* worked for me.

I'm glad this baby didn't lose so much blood that she died. I had a racoon kill three pullets like this, and I thought he left the fourth alive. When I pulled her from the cage and set her on my counter, I cleaned one foot up first where it was scratched. I went to go get the other and thought she had it pulled up against her. I kept feeling til I realized he had taken the leg off completely at the base. There was just the ball of the joint there. The poor girl lived a while longer, with me giving her some emergency groceries and hydration, but her blood loss shock killed her in a half hour. Heartbreaking.

By the way, the thing that concerns me about that exposed bone and marrow is the potential for blood infection. It worries me, but again I'm not exactly sure what I'd do. If only you had someone experienced with doing pinions in your area - or maybe someone on the board who could help with that, that's what I'd consider only if I knew she wouldn't lose any more blood. But I really don't know how to advise you to do that. I would if I knew for sure my advice was sound on that one issue - the bone removal.

 

[LunaChix]

Thanks again, threehorses. Right now I am letting him rest, although he does rest, he is up moving and eating etc.
I am not sure about the stiches. I am not that squeamish about doing that. It just seems like the wound is not that big and it is clean, not bleeding. (Not counting the small bone sticking out.) The width of the piece of bone is small, about the diameter of a very small coffee stirstick, again it protudes maybe about 1/2 from the rest of the area of removal. For that reason, I think a small sharp pair of sissors should be able to remove it. But as they say, "First do no harm..."

 

[Judy]

This will probably never heal til you get the piece of bone out of there. I agree that it would be better to disjoint it at the shoulder. That way, there will be no rough edges or bone wound. You could go buy a whole chicken and play with disjointing the wings on it, unless you're already an old hand at that.

Obviously, this would best be done by a vet. We understand this is not feasible for so many here; I just don't want to imply this is a minor matter!