Possible attack or something else on our beloved easter egger.

[mathbishop]

This young gal just started laying eggs and has been so sweet. This past Friday I thought I heard our chickens in distress as they were out roaming so I ran down to check on them but didn't see anything alarming. That night I noticed our easter egger being rather standoffish and not herself. The following morning she seemed more active so I chalked it up to her being tired. Fast forward to a couple hours ago and I noticed a wet spot on her chest and upon closer examination noticed this startling hole. It was a little caked with what looks like gobbled up food so I cleaned it up and its a pretty obvious hole in her chest. Im not sure what the best way forward is. She is still laying eggs and much more herself now, but I am worried for her. Any advice on what I should be doing?

 

[sourland]

sorry for the circumstances. The picture makes it appear as if the wound is on her back? If it is on her chest, I am concerned that her crop may have been injured and in need of repair.

 

[mathbishop]

sorry for the circumstances. The picture makes it appear as if the wound is on her back? If it is on her chest, I am concerned that her crop may have been injured and in need of repair.

Thank you for the reply. Took a closer look and its definitely on her crop. And it definitley looks like some sort of trauma. That said, she is very chipper today and acting like normal. Do these things ever sort themselves out on their own or do I definitely need to intervine?

 

[CloneFly]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[mathbishop]

A better picture. She has a full crop at the moment it looks like.

 

[azygous]

Please have someone help you take some more photos. First, wet the feathers and smooth them away from the wound so we can better see the entire thing. Then face her to the camera with light directed on the wound and take a closeup and another one of the whole body so we can see the context.

If this is directly on the crop, there may be a rupture in the crop sac. And yes, you will need to treat the wound or it may get infected.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It was a little caked with what looks like gobbled up food so I cleaned it up and its a pretty obvious hole in her chest.

Took a closer look and its definitely on her crop. And it definitley looks like some sort of trauma.

I agree, it does look like a hole in the crop, food is visible and I assume leaks out along with water.

Is vet care an option for you?

I'd go with care instructions that @azygous will likely post, but to me, the wound will need to be cleaned well.

There's two layers that you are dealing with. The Crop "tissue" layer (the crop is like a sac), then the outer skin. You can see the 2 different layers in the photo.

Not sure if you can stitch the crop and then just let the outer skin grow back over. Don't stitch both layers together, they need to be separate! The wound is granulating, but also needs to be debrided and cleaned.

 

[Eggcessive]

She probably was attacked by a predator while outside, and it removed a chunk of her crop. That can be a common spot for an attack. Or it could have ruptured, hard to know. I am not sure that she can recover from this gaping old wound, since the crop is basically the organ that stores the food before it moves on to the gizzard and intestines. I would take her to a vet for care, but definitely clean it up with saline or Vetericyn wound spray. Saline is water mixed with salt 2 tsp per quart. It can be sprayed on. If she seems to be suffering, I would put her down.

 

[azygous]

Here's what you do in the event of a predator attack to treat the survivor.

1. Treat for shock as the number one step. Give warm Gatoraid or mix a half teaspoon of sugar into a fourth of a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt and baking soda. Have the patient drink it all or syringe it into the beak.

2. Flush the wound well with saline. This is better than soap and water as it maintains the PH of the tissues. But warm soap and water will do. You need to wash away the bacteria from the wound.

3. Inspect the wound carefully. If it has a skin flap dangling, keep that. Do not cut it off. Look for bite, tear or puncture marks indicating a puncture wound. If you see this, the patient will need an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Bacteria from the predator’s mouth can be injected deep into tissue and can kill in as little as 24 to 48 hours. You can order this https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/250mg once a day for ten days. Or you may be able to find this or something similar at TSC or a pet store.

4. Spray with Vetericyn wound treament and let dry. Use a topical antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or a generic without pain killer in it to coat the wound. If there's a skin flap, lay it across the wound that has just been coated with the ointment. Then smooth on a generous amount over the top of the skin flap to hold it in place.

5. It's useless to try to stitch a wound on a chicken. Don't even try. It's also useless to try to bandage a wound other than on the feet. The chicken will not tolerate it. It will be pulled off faster than you can blink an eye.

6. Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

Debriding a wound means removing all scabs and crusty material and pus. Bacteria hides and thrives under it. It may bleed but it's necessary. It will also give us an idea of what the wound looks like, how bad it is, and if there is any hope for continuing to try to save the patient. If you have the option of a vet, it's what I would advise.