My hen escaped and came back badly injured

[MindiWynne]

My Golden Comet (The one on the right side of my profile picture) was out and missing for an entire day, then was found in our neighbor's yard tonight. It was dark so I didnt realize she was injured and she was running from me when I approached her (and as elusive as always) but when I did finally pick her up I saw lots of small, bleeding wounds. I brought her in to clean them and discovered a huge chunk missing from her underside. I dont know how to describe the location other than Its where her breast meat would be, to the right of her breastbone. It was kind of shocking to me because its just so big... I tried to match the skin back up but its all mangled and I cant really tell what is supposed to be there. I can only assume that aome other critter got her early today and she's had time for the skin to dry out and shrivel up. I cleaned it the best I could and sprayed with Vetricyn and a peroxide spray and then dressed and bandaged it like a human wound. I dont know what else to do but Ive had a bad week with chickens and dont want to lose another. Im going to TSC tomorrow to buy more 1st aid necessities but not really sure what to use or get for her. Any guidance or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Picture would help but sounds like you did all you can for now... Continue with Vetricyn for cleaning but stop with the peroxide. Keep her hydrated & see if she'll eat, keep her quiet & the wound clean.

 

[Sirens04]

I am new so I have no real advice but wanted to say sorry for the situation and I hope it works out for the best.

 

[MindiWynne]

Good morning. I’m wondering how Marsala did overnight.

She seems to have done fine. She has eaten a bit of scrambled egg this morning and pooped a lot so Im remaining cautiously optimistic. Thank you so much for asking. The support I have gotten from everyone in this forum has been terrific.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen, but glad that you found her. Vetericyn wound spray or saline is best to spray on the wound, and this should be done twice a day. Even deep wounds can heal well, but internal injuries are not always obvious at first. Usually, it is better to not put a dressing on the wound, but it might be needed if she is lying on her wound. A clean towel can be used for bedding in a dog crate or basket. Keep her separarted as the wound is healing, but she may need to be able to see the other chickens to be comfortable.

Since she is eating and alert, and I am assuming that she is able to walk, she should have a good chance of surviving. Don’t be surprised if she does not stop laying from the stress of her attack. I would be on the lookout for a predator to return.

 

[MindiWynne]

So here is what Marsala's chest wound looks like today. Honestly, I have no clue what I am looking at but since she egged and is acting really pissed off at me, Im guessing its not super duper critical. I did debried it a little and trim some feathers from around the bulgy part, sprayed it thoroughly with peroxide and Vetricyn Plus, and made the decision to cover it again since so much seemed exposed. I was worried about the gauze pad sticking so I covered the pad with Neosporin before putting it directly on the wound, wrapped it with gauze wrap and then used coban to holdnit in place. Last night I mixed an aspirin into 14oz of water and I gave her 1ml of that water orally with a dropper then put her back into a clean "hospital crate."
Im flying by the seat of my pants with this. Ive been an EMT for 35 years but never had to do trauma treatment on a hen before.

 

[casportpony]

Is her crop intact?

 

[HeyHo]

I've been following this thread since the beginning and, can I just say, you all are amazing! What a selfless, supportive, helpful space we have here! The amount of attention and interest to help one chicken in Ohio (and be there for her chicken momma). That is a true community and that is what it is all about. One of the best things I ever did was order a pile of day-old chicks and, in large part, it is because of what I have learned from all of you.

So, from the bottom heart, thank you. And you go girl, Marsala!

 

[MindiWynne]

Thank you. Marsala is one of the first two hens I ever bought. She and her sister, Noodles, have been with me the longest and I am very attached to them. She's only 2 yrs old.

 

[HeyHo]

How scary! I'm a novice too and have nothing useful to add but my support! Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in. But what I have read on BYC in these situations is: give the hen a dark, warm, quiet place. Electrolyte water and wet feed, with extra protein (canned tuna, scrambled eggs, etc.). Post pictures if you can because those always seem to generate good suggestions. Hugs.