My hen escaped and came back badly injured

[WVduckchick]

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.

Wow, I can't disagree with anything you've done. Just wanted to wish you the best of luck. I'm pulling for a full recovery!

 

[Saaniya]

Giving her protein rich diet will help.alot Healing her fast .. especially boiled eggs

 

[dalasgalas]

Looks like you did a top notch job.

Nothing to do but wait and see, give supportive care, and ensure she has high quality chow.

 

[casportpony]

Is her crop intact?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Peroxide it great for the initial cleaning but after that Vetericyn or Saline the much better ... Peroxide will disturb any new tissue trying to regrow. Neosporin without the pain is what I've been told to use. You seem to have it all under control, great job

I maybe wrong but the wound exposes her crop, anyone?

Wow, she's one strong & determined girl Keep us updated & wishing the best

 

[staceyj]

Following.so sorry about this poor girl.
With @Eggcessive and @Wyorp Rock and @WVduckchick here I feel confident that you’ll do what’s best for her.

Hens have healed from worse wounds.

I too am concerned about her crop though.
If it is torn, repairing that is a must -and soon, or she won’t survive regardless.
Clean it out, let air dry completely and I’d suggest tissue glue maybe since you’re an EMT, and know how to handle the stuff without buggering it up.
Stitching is my second choice.

 

[staceyj]

@staceyj just have a look.

It’s all good. The educators are here.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Im going to buy some medicated food tomorrow.

The poor girl. I too wonder about the crop.
You are doing good taking care of her. Since she has a lot of damage, I would also give her a round of antibiotics. If you have a vet that can prescribe something for you that would be best. Amoxicillin can be ordered online. You can also find Penicillin at Tractor Supply in the refrigerated section.

fwiw - medicated feed in the US only contains a Coccidiostat - usually Amprolium. This "medication" has no antibiotic properties. It won't hurt her, but if you did buy some, you may want to take that back.

 

[Eggcessive]

Wow, it sure looks like the predator went right for the crop. Can you tell if it is intact or leaking food or liquids? If it is damaged or open, it will need to be stitched or superglued, but I would let a vet tackle that. If you have an NG tube for a human, you could pass it down to the crop to see if it can be seen in the wound. Tubes are placed into the back of the chicken’s right throat, avoiding the large hole (trachea) at the base of the tongue. The largest tube size to use would be a 16 french I believe, but smaller ones can be used as well. You could put a little water through it to see if it leaks.
Avoid the peroxide, since we have recently learned that it damages tissue (after we used it in hospitals for decades.)
You can get some Telfa at Walmart if you prefer the nonadhesive bandage, but plain neosporin is fine for the less deep wounds.

 

[MROO]

fwiw - medicated feed in the US only contains a Coccidiostat - usually Amprolium. This "medication" has no antibiotic properties. It won't hurt her, but if you did buy some, you may want to take that back.

I agree about withholding the Amprolium, but if you don't have it in your medicine kit, I'd hang onto it. If (and when) you have to deal with coccidiosis, a very common issue since coccidia occurs naturally in soil, you may well need it, and the faster you get it to them , the better!