Shoot! Chick torn its neck open! What do I do!? (gross photo)

[Jrose]

Okay, so turkens are weasly little buggers- they will try to squeeze through anything they can fit their head through! This guy ripped his/her neck open on some wire. It's torn down to connective tissue and bone, very bloody. The wound is at least 1". Is there anything I can do for the chick? Bandage and isolate? I don't have a suture needle small enough to stitch this, and I don't think I could do it alone.

 

[Jrose]

Maybe I could mash it back together, glop it up with neosporin, and bandage it? Keep the bird isolated and on a vitamin boosted diet?

 

[debster1556]

Yes, I would say to clean it really well, then neosporin, (no benzocaine or "caine" of any kind), and bandage it up.

Probably should seperate it from any other chickens as they peck each other to death if they see blood. I've read some really bad stories!!!

And actually, that wound really doesn't look bad.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

He should heal up quite nice as long as flies or infection doesn't set in! I'm a big fan or Furazone and have used it with great success on birds that were scalped. Certain brands of furazone also include fly repellant. I usually just glop a bunch of that on the wound, separate the bird for a bit in a quiet, dark area, and give them a week or so. It should heal up fairly quick.

 

[Jrose]

Thanks for the replies. I contacted a fellow chicken lover whilst waiting for replies. We hooked up promptly and stitched the chick up nicely. Lots of cleansing with bentonite clay tea, a slather of neosporin over the stitches, and a light sheet of loose gauze to keep it clean over night. She'll be in the house for a few days. The tear was very deep, you could see the bone and such. I've dealt with a lot of turken neck tears, but this one was the worst yet! I'm thinking/hoping she'll bounce back fine and enjoy her new Turkenstein scar!