Racoon attack - to remove feathers in wound area or leave them?

[ChicksareforKid]

Yesterday we had a raccoon in our run area. It managed to get a piece of my pullet. There is a wound on her chest slightly larger than a quarter, where the skin is removed. There was little bleeding.

I brought her inside and kept her warm. Today she is fairly peppy, so I inspected the wound and placed some antibiotic ointment on the area. Her surrounding feathers are fairly well matted onto the wound area, and I didn't want to induce any bleeding, so I removed the loose ones and smeared the ointment all around. The area looks bruised and sore, but not infected.

So, my question is, do I need to remove the feathers that are matted into the wound area? It is raw where the section of skin is gone. The ointment may have loosened them, but will it heal better if it is cleared? Is there anything more I can do to help her recover?
Thanks for any advice or help!

PS When we inspected carefully we discovered 3 huge healthy coons up the tree beside the coop. Now there are only two, tomorrow only 1......

 

[Judy]

It might heal up either way, but I would probably rinse it well with saline and get the feathers off the raw tissue. Perhaps the antibiotic ointment will do this for you, especially if you reapply, say, morning and night. They heal remarkably well, fortunately.

 

[ChicksareforKid]

Thank you for your quick response. I wouldn't have bothered to apply twice, in order to keep her calm, but I will now. Everyone okay this morning, but no second coon. I will have to hide the trap now I guess.