My chicken is seriously injured and I don't know what to do.

[Angelala87]

A couple of days ago, my neighbor's dogs attacked my chickens. Two are dead, one has several puncture wounds on her back. However I made the mistake of allowing the only chicken that was untouched to be I the same pen as her and now my injured chicken has a large hole in her back. She seems to be okay in that she still eats fine and can pass stool. She doesn't move around much though but when she does she can stand and walk without problems although she might have a broken wing as she doesn't move one of them. I'm just not sure if I should put her down because of the large hole in her back. It's about 1x 0.5" in size and probably an inch deep to the point where I believe I can see internal organs.

 

[emmyeagle]

Sorry about your losses. At this point I'd put her out of her misery. Then I'd go have a talk with the neighbor.

 

[sourland]

As long as there are no internal injuries, chickens can readily survive such injuries. Separate her from the other chickens, apply antibiotic ointment to the wound and make sure that flies can/do not get at it. She may very well survive.

 

[beesanddeesfarm]

The exact same thing happened to my bird, her entire back was missing feathers and all. We took her to the vet as her wing was half torn off as well. They stitched her wing and gave her antibiotics and cleaned her back wound. Surprisingly enough with our care and her treatment she survived and is happily clucking around today and laying eggs. But I understand the enormity of vet bills, so if you do take that road, document it all and make sure the owner of the of is held responsible. So sorry for the attack, the trauma is hard on birds and on us as well.

 

[Angelala87]

What kind of antibiotic should I get? Also would I just put it around the wound or actually inside it?

 

[sourland]

Any antibiotic ointment without the 'caine' pain reliever. Lightly cover the entire wound with the ointment. If she is still doing well, it sounds as if she is a candidate for complete survival.

 

[Angelala87]

I'm a little hesitant to put the ointment actually inside her though. The hole looks like it goes down about half an inch or so deep. I think she could survive it because she's fully alert, eats/ drinks regularly and moves around a little in her box.

 

[bobbi-j]

Maybe instead of an ointment, try a spray like Blu-Kote. I believe that also has antibiotic in it, and will promote fast healing.

 

[welasharon]

I treat mine with the antibiotic ointment. Your goal is to keep it from getting infected so it can heal. You can flush it out with Epsom salts warm water but do not use peroxide. You also have to keep flies off of it as they will lay maggots in the wound. If you could cover it it would be best.

 

[sbhkma]

When mine Sophie was attacked by a coyote this spring, she had a hole about that size in her side right below her wing and a smaller hole next to the large one. It looked awful. All her tail feathers were gone, too. I brought her inside, flushed her wound with betadine and put Vetericyn in and around the wounds, then put her in a dog kennel in the spare bedroom as I needed to keep her separated and I didn't want her outside due to flystrike concerns. It was touch and go the first couple days, but I fed her watermelon, grapes and then chicken mash. After 2 weeks I started putting her in a second dog kennel outside next to the coop to help re-integrate her and I'd bring her in at night. By the 3rd week she was back with the others and laying eggs again. She's now my sweetest hen and most reliable layer. Was worth having a "house chicken" for a few weeks!