Puncture in back and chicken gasping for air

[laurenhomer]

I found my 4 month old brahma gasping for air on the roost this morning and making a gurgling sound. I gave her a bit of olive oil in a syringe thinking something may be lodged in her throat - i couldnt see anything stuck though. I tried to check her all over and found a very clean hole in her back right by the "shoulder" part of her wing. It seems the air she breathes is escaping through this hole. My thought is that maybe a hawk tried to grab her and punctured her back? Does this mean she has a punctured lung and wont survive? Should i try to bandage the hole and tape it up? There is no blood and everything else seems normal. I dont want her to suffer but dont want to cull if she'll recover. Bigfoot is my youngest son's favorite.

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

I'm not sure but really hope someone can help. If you keep posting it will be come new in the post and more people will see and try to help. Your guess is very good, it could have likely been a hawk. Good luck

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you take her to a vet to get the hole stitched together? If not, I would get some betadine to clean off the wound, apply some plain bacitracin, neosporin, or even plain vaseline. Then cover the leaking air sac hole with gauze or cotton, and hold your finger over the wound. Hopefully the wound will seal off, so that she can breathe easier. Giving oil orally can sometimes cause them to choke, and there can be a danger of lipid pneumonia. Keep up updated on her condition.

 

[laurenhomer]

Thank you. She survived the day and we did our best to cover up the wound with a little bacitracin, a no stick gauze pad and medical tape. She ate and drank and snuggled into her hay bed in the dog crate. Her little body filled up more with air after we covered up the hole - which im assuming is a good sign. The hole is good size though, about the size of a nickel looks pretty nasty. We're praying she makes it through the night and recovers quickly. She seems better off than i would expect - so im cautiosly hopeful. Thank you for your advice.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is there air collecting around the wound, like a balloon? If so, you might try pushing that out, and then holding some pressure over the wound site, so it will seal. If an air sac leaks under the skin, it will form a pouch of air which can lead to shortness of breath. The usual treatment is to puncture the area with a needle, and push out the air. Since she seems to have a whole there already, if there is air collecting, then it should be able to be pushed out. I really hope that she makes it.