My silkie is injured!!

[vkp23]

My silke had a NASTY boo-boo on her rump/hip. It was more than likely due to the males (who are ONLY a couple week older than her) trying to mate. She is one of the smallest which is why she probably got hurt and the other females have not. Any way, it looks almost like a diamond shape had been cut out of her skin on her hip. It's about 2 1/2 inches at it's widest part and 4-5 inches long!

She isn't bleeding. We brought her in the house and gave her a bath and cleaned the injury with hydrogen peroxide, used Neosporin on it and bandaged her up. Other than seeming tired (NOT lethargic) she is acting fine, walking around a what not. She's eating, drinking and pooping fine. We also put some colloidal silver in her water since we don't have any antibiotics. (Don't worry we are not using much) Other than keeping the wound clean and keeping her inside is there anything else we should be doing? Will the skin find it's way back together? We can't really afford to take her to the vet and have them stitch her up. I don't know. I don't want to lose her, but I can't afford to put my family in the poor house over a chicken. Is what I'm doing fine, and she will eventually get better?

 

[sfw2]

We had a Leghorn with a similar injury last year. It looked HORRIBLE when we found it, but with similar treatment to what you describe, she quickly recovered. don't reintroduce her to the flock until she's healed - the others may peck the injury and make it worse. You can put Blukote on the wound to minimize pecking, as well as speed healing.

You might want to look into a saddle or apron for her, to protect her from your roo's amorous advances.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

if you are worried about the injury not closing up on its own you can always stitch it with some pure cotton thread (not the poly/cotton kind) yourself. make sure the area is clean, clear about 1/4 1/2 inches from the open site on a silkie cause of that fluffy fuzz either way. but if you want to try stitiching it yourself, get a bottle of iodine (small bottles at a drug store are like 1-2$) wipe it down good, get a small needle, santize it, thread some threat on it and start from the outside (so the knot is outside of the skin) and make 2 or 3 stitches in the skin, tie it off and put some more iodine on it and give her a dose of antibiotics 1/2 cc every day for 3-4 days and she should be good as new. If your worried about the stitiching hurting her, get some of the orajel gum and tooth lidocaine and dab around the area before you put the iodine down that way it will numb the skin up so she wont move and fuss as much.

Good luck on which ever way you decide. You can be your own vet for about 15$