Scalped Chicken!! Warning: Graphic

[SkyWarrior]

I'm over at a convention the entire weekend, and, of course, something nasty has to happen while I barely have time to care for anyone.

Last night, I noticed one of my EE mixes had what looked like a black ribbon along the back of her head. The roos were mercilessly picking on her, so I went over and saw something frightful. Her head was degloved from her comb to about an inch down her neck. It was black from blood and whatever else. She was blind in one eye. It was midnight, so I put her in a dog crate, gave her food and water, expecting to put her down today.

Today, she was sitting in the crate, wondering why she's not with the other birds. I looked at her wound--it's nasty. Still, she's alive and not really being in pain. I put antibiotic in her water, gave her some more food and left her alone.

What are her chances of making it, you figure? What else should I do?

 

[CowgirlJules]

I had the dog grab a hen through the fence and skin a strip off her neck. I isolated her, cleaned the wound, gave her antibiotics orally, and sprayed the wound with Blu-Kote. She did recover, which surprised me, and always had a naked streak down her neck.

It doesn't sound like a huge wound, so you might try that. That hen never would go near the fence again, unsurprisingly.

 

[leadwolf1]

Keep her in a quiet, warm place and keep doing what you are doing. Keep the wound clean and covered with neosporin. Keep her away from flies so that they don't lay their eggs in the wound.

Give her plenty of fresh food and water. Vitamins/electrolytes along with the antibiotic.

She has a great chance to recover!

 

[SkyWarrior]

I had the dog grab a hen through the fence and skin a strip off her neck. I isolated her, cleaned the wound, gave her antibiotics orally, and sprayed the wound with Blu-Kote. She did recover, which surprised me, and always had a naked streak down her neck.
It doesn't sound like a huge wound, so you might try that. That hen never would go near the fence again, unsurprisingly.

I suspect it was either through the fence or one of the roos getting rambunctious. I don't think anything grabbed her. It was in the barn and a lot of other small, tasty morsels are there. I'll try the Blu-kote.

Keep her in a quiet, warm place and keep doing what you are doing. Keep the wound clean and covered with neosporin. Keep her away from flies so that they don't lay their eggs in the wound.

Give her plenty of fresh food and water. Vitamins/electrolytes along with the antibiotic.

She has a great chance to recover!

I'll slip some in there. Thanks! It's good to know. Hard to figure out how to keep flies out, though.

 

[kidcody]

It is truly amazing the injuries chickens can get and survive. Keep it clean and put her on oral antibiotics and she should be fine. I recently just went through something just like this with one of my hens. I took mine to the vet to be sewn up but the vet said if it was not sewn up it would of healed on its own. It would of taken a long time to heal. You will have to keep her separate from the others until it heals.

 

[featherz]

I had a scalped baby chick last year - I just put blukote on it and the chick grew to be a big mean ol rooster!

 

[sparrker]

I just had a 3 day old EE chick get scalped and its doing great now
(its day 6) but how long will it take to grow back the skin and feathers?