pullet injured! pecked open ! need advice, help!

[txmel]

my 1 polish pullet (who just started to lay) was pecked on today and had a hole tore into her. its on her side by her tail from the looks of it, it had to have happened today. i brought her in cleaned her really well with warm water, trimmed the feathers right around the wound and decided that i needed to stitch the wound. so i packed the wound with neosporin and stitched her close with dental floss, leaving a small opening at the bottom of the wound for it to drain from if need be. then applied more neosporin over the wound.
I need to know if i should do anything else or will this be ok? i have her separated for now in a rabbit hutch in the run so everyone can still see each other. she is eating and drinking fine.
how long do i need to leave the stitches in? i know chickens are suppose to heal quickly just not sure how quick?
i put pinless peepers on the pullet i think did the pecking so hopefully this wont happen again. any advice would be appreciated thanks

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am not sure about the stitches, but just wanted to say I hope she heals quick and you have done a great job so far. I wouldn't do anything else unless you see infection, but I doubt you will. Are your other chickens polish too?

 

[txmel]

no she is my only polish i have a mix of 3 wheaten marans and an olive egger and an orloft and a silkie in that pen.
thanks

 

[Miss Lydia]

always seems that they pick on the ones that look different, I am surprised they haven't pecked on your silkie too. and I love your avatar so funny

 

[Judy]

I wouldn't have stitched it. In humans a wound is basically never sutured if it is over 4 hours old or of unknown age. Keep an eye on it and remove the sutures if it starts to look yukky. In any case i would not leave the sutures more than 4 or 5 days. Probably the other biggest consideration is keeping flies off it so they don't lay eggs in it. Neosporin works great on these wounds.

Best of luck to you and your chickens!

 

[brahmapapa]

Hi,
I would leave the stitches in no more than 10 days. If you watch the wound you will see when it appears to be growing back together. I have had chickens that were pecked clear open, one lost its tail, believe it or not a new tail grew back. I focus on breeds that are more gentle now and are less likely to peck. keep her seperate until she is fully healed as the rest of the flock will find the scab as something to pick at, innocently thinking its a bug or something. When you reintroduce her back into the flock, do it after lights out at night so when they wake in the am she is not so noticed. Good Luck TOM

 

[txmel]

Quote:
thanks my silkie actually started to jump on the olive egger once i put the peeper on her( the OE ). i guess she looked a little too different in them. but all is back to normal with them all scratching around and getting along( except for the polish in her pen). this is the first time i have noticed them picking on the polish i hope its the last time as well. the wound was about 2 1/2 inches long and was gaping open which is why i stitched it most of the way closed. there wasnt any flap to help cover the wound it just gaped open about an inch to one and a half inches and i could see through to the muscle.
they all keep going up to the polishes pen and looking at her and talking to her so i dont know why this happened. they all grew up together too.

 

[txmel]

Quote:
Thank you i really hope that i dont have to leave them in for ten days! and very glad that they didnt take off her tail! i think i might have freaked had that been the case.