My hen' beak got chewed off and her face is SUPER swollen, how can I help with the inflammation?

[glassdragonfly]

 

[Ebony Rose]

Try hard boiled egg, especially the yolk. You can make a paste by mashing the yolk and a couple of drops of Chick Booster (liquid vitamin supplement with just about any vitamin a chicken would need) & perhaps some cooking oil, butter, or other high-quality fat to give her some much needed calories. My chickens adore a bit of raw hamburger too, so if you've got a little it could be a replacement for insects that she'd have normally caught and you can control the fat vs protein content with the meat too.

 

[RooandherRooster]

Here's some pictures of her left "eye". I think shes getting an infection in her nare and whats left of her really shredded beak area. I sprayed Vetericyn on it and put some Neosporin on it and her eyes, trying to get it to open up. She walked around today for little bit. I got the rest of her poopy feathers cut off. And I got her to eat! I gave her probably 6 small pieces of hard boiled egg and about 2 of the yolk, but the yolk was hard to feed her. I've been giving the 3-in-1 in her water with some plantain plant, which is an herb that helps with like everything that's called a weed by any gardener just about
I think things are looking up for her, I just have to get the infection gone

 

[Cwimbish]

I hate to be the naysayer here but it’s reasonable given her injuries to consider seeking veterinary care. Both amoxicillin and penicillin from the feed store have a narrow spectrum of efficacy for the bacteria they target. This is typically good given the liberal use by some facilities/flocks (resistance is a real concern). However, other antibiotics available by prescription have a wider spectrum and may be more appropriate given her situation. Also, there are antiinflammatories and pain medications with more potency than aspirin, which would also be reasonable given her injuries. They could also teach you temporary gavage feeding if she can’t maintain adequate caloric intake on her own currently.

Please don’t think I’m discrediting her current care- I’m certainly not and am thrilled to see such devoted chicken owners. I know cost is always a concern with backyard flocks but it feels like my ethical obligation to advocate for her if possible.

 

[Eggcessive]

One of the other people who had this happen did tube feed her chicken for a few weeks. But she scrambled eggs and fed her hen slivers of egg that way, which the hen learned how to eat. Pieces of tuna, salmon, or liver would be somewhat easy to feed. I would moisten the amber thing in her eye, and see if you can get the eye open, to check if the eye is in there or not.

 

[Tesumph]

I hate to be the naysayer here but it’s reasonable given her injuries to consider seeking veterinary care. Both amoxicillin and penicillin from the feed store have a narrow spectrum of efficacy for the bacteria they target. This is typically good given the liberal use by some facilities/flocks (resistance is a real concern). However, other antibiotics available by prescription have a wider spectrum and may be more appropriate given her situation. Also, there are antiinflammatories and pain medications with more potency than aspirin, which would also be reasonable given her injuries. They could also teach you temporary gavage feeding if she can’t maintain adequate caloric intake on her own currently.

Please don’t think I’m discrediting her current care- I’m certainly not and am thrilled to see such devoted chicken owners. I know cost is always a concern with backyard flocks but it feels like my ethical obligation to advocate for her if possible.

I wholeheartedly agree. I personally don’t know if this hen will make it without veterinary interference.

She looks like she needs serious antibiotics and tube feeding. The swelling of her face and eyes is severe and indicates a nasty secondary infection.

 

[slordaz]

@Cwimbish @Tesumph , vet care isn't an option as it isn't in many places so if you don't have ideas let the others that know what their doing to the best of their knowledge help them, not everyone is as privileged as apparently you guys are instead of stressing a loving chicken owner even more with those kind of remarks

 

[Cwimbish]

@Cwimbish @Tesumph , vet care isn't an option as it isn't in many places so if you don't have ideas let the others that know what their doing to the best of their knowledge help them, not everyone is as privileged as apparently you guys are instead of stressing a loving chicken owner even more with those kind of remarks

@slordaz, I in no way meant to stress her. People were certainly doing their best to help and giving her options. That’s merely all I was doing, mentioning an option that had not yet been suggested. I know vets who see chickens are not in every area and I recognize even if one is in the area, paying for care isn’t always an option. It’s still an appropriate course of action to suggest and let her determine what is possible for her situation.

 

[Eggcessive]

Back in post 7, there is some info on tube feeding. You can buy a length of aquarium tubing, and you can cut a section about 15 inches long. That can be melted slightly with a lighter to soften the sharp cut end. It will fit a 35 ml syringe from a feed or farm store, which can be used to feed watery food and fluids. A proper feed tube and catheter tip syringe for thicker food may be prchased from a vet office or online. The link has info about that. In the picture below where the syringe is in the chicken’s right side back of the throat is where to insert the feeding tube, which then is passed down into the crop where you can feel it passing. Vet care would be best if a possibility.

 

[Tesumph]

@Cwimbish @Tesumph , vet care isn't an option as it isn't in many places so if you don't have ideas let the others that know what their doing to the best of their knowledge help them, not everyone is as privileged as apparently you guys are instead of stressing a loving chicken owner even more with those kind of remarks

I’m not trying to stress anyone out, just giving my opinion from the medical experience I have. I’m sorry if I came across as unhelpful.
When I say that the hen needs veterinary care, I’m talking about access to stronger drugs and maybe a firmer hand (sometimes gnarly wounds require some manhandling to properly clean up). Even if you don’t have a vet who will see chickens (I don’t), if you just explain the situation to a vet who you have a relationship with already, they can help you out. At the very least you can try, and maybe you’ll get a prescription out of it.

But if you want ideas, I can give ideas!
If this were my hen, I would immediately start by bringing her inside. This wound is severe enough to be past the point of caring about flock hierarchy. I would be very concerned about fly strike and myiasis given the amount of vulnerable flesh exposed and her inability to defend herself from parasites.

Then I would wrap her in a towel and clean her wounds thoroughly with betadine. This would require some elbow grease and a strong stomach. She will complain, and it will hurt.
The loose beak fragments will have to be removed, and the pus in her eyes will have to be expressed to the best of your ability. You should be able to work her eyelids open with some warm compresses and patience. The eyes will have to be closely monitored and cleaned as they continue to drain and fill up.
Ideally, antibiotic ointment drops would be used, especially if one or both eyes is decaying in the socket. You might be able to find some terramycin ointment in stores.

I believe she needs antibiotics, the kind you can only get with a prescription. Whether that’s from medication you already have laying around, or you can get lucky with a vet, I don’t know. But in my opinion, the extremely swollen, hot and foul smelling face indicate a nasty bacterial infection (combined with dehydration and normal lymphatic swelling from the physical trauma of her wounds).

I would also start a tube feeding regime immediately. Personally I would use a blended slurry of water, poultry booster, “Exact” powder, and maybe some egg yolk as a base. Tube feeding isn’t too bad once you get the hang of it and can really make all the difference.

On the bright side, I doubt she has much energy to fight you regardless of what you decide to do for her.
I wish you and your hen the best of luck. She looks like a fighter!