Silkie Missing LOTS of skin AND sour crop help please? *cw Graphic photo of wound*

[pointsalamander]

Okay so I am being the hospital wing for a friend. A little silkie ended up with a large injury we aren't entirely sure how but I'm guessing it was probably chickens think chicken is delicous.

She gave me a solution of bleach, baking soda and water to rinse it with and some neosporin when I picked her up yesterday. She also pointed out that her crop was very enlarged and very watery (felt like a water balloon).

I rinsed the wound twice yesterday and coated it in the neosporin both time. I added a little idoine coat to it as well since I want to say that does better than the bleach since I know bleach degrades over time and quickly. I gave her some yogurt and a little bit of antifungal for the sour crop last night and held food and water. This morning the crop appeared completely empty except for the grit. So I made a yogurt and high protein chick food mash for her and gave her water with a touch of ACV. I actually have never treated sour crop just heard about it on a chicken facebook group and my kids how to keep chickens book said yogurt was good. So I will take tips on telling how she is good to go back to regular food or anything.


This morning I finally got a really good close look in good light. A lot of the skin is loose at the end, its hard to the touch and well frankly I think its dead. I know I need to remove that to get it to heal. But I have no idea how to best go about this on a 4-6 week old silkie that doesn't even weigh 8oz.

Vets aren't an option at this point. I feel so bad for this little one. Any tips for the wound that you can add especially how to clean up the edges so they start filling in skin would be great. I want to do right by the little thing she's been this way for almost a week now.


Caution Graphic Photo below the photo of the chick with my 2 year old nurse helper here.

Graphic Photo is of wound as found that day on left. Then wound approximately 5 days later.

 

[pointsalamander]

Okay.

Because I'll find this useful later.

For tiny chick there here is what I've done so far.

She's gotten monistat for her crop (just a tiny bit) twice a day.
I have a little acv in her water which I'm changing it 3 times a day.
I am making a mash of 22% chick feed ground down a little extra mixed with a high protein lactose free yogurt drink.
Her crop is basically normal after 36 hours of this but I am continuing this till I hit day 5 of treatment.

For her wound. Last night I ended up giving her a small dose of asprin. Then giving her a 10 to 15 minute soak in epsom salt. Then I went ahead and used a cuticle scissors and iodine and trimmed back anything that appeared hard and thick. There were a few little areas that did bleed ever so slightly but most of the trimming was near the leg.

I'm rinsing three times a day and coating it in neosprin each time.

So far she's a lot perkier than she was at first so the extra protein is certainly giving her more energy. Hopefully it leads to good skin growth here soon.

A video of her going after her mash this morning

https://youtube.com/shorts/SFLSzBcZUHc?feature=share

 

[pointsalamander]

Well I'm not sure it looks better....20 hours later but at least it doesn't look worse

 

[pointsalamander]

Well after yesterday this morning there was a cloudy yellow liquid accumulating under the scab and she was pretty hot feeling. So I went ahead and removed anything that was obviously lose because of this yellow liquid. Cleaned her up good with more of the dakins solution and then iodine. Then put lots of Neosporin on it. Now tonight it looks much better to me. She doesn't feel nearly as warm either. (She's still eating like a champ)


But if anyone is actually reading this. Is the light/white skin at the top of the wound in this photo the new skin growth I'm looking for? I'm hoping it is because she's got a good amount on the top there.

2nd after I'm done. How the he'll do I remove all the Neosporin from her feathers. She's kind of a greasy mess.

*also given it's a silkie i am only hoping it's a girl. It is likely a boy.

 

[Lucy Brown]

oh no! that looks very bad. I am sorry your chick is going through that.

 

[Lucy Brown]

I would just keep a watchful eye on her recovery.

 

[Lucy Brown]

if she is eating and drinking fine i would not worry so much..i would worry it she is not very active all of a sudden, but it sounds like she is fine. I think a 2-3 weeks ought to give her enough time to heal.

 

[Smileybans]

Sounds like this baby is in good hands. I’m not sure the white is new skin growth but it does look like signs of healing.

 

[pointsalamander]

if she is eating and drinking fine i would not worry so much..i would worry it she is not very active all of a sudden, but it sounds like she is fine. I think a 2-3 weeks ought to give her enough time to heal.

Thanks! I walked upstairs to grab a snack (my work from home station is in the basement she's in the living room where all the action is so she is less lonely). And was surprised to see that for the first time since I got her monday she had jumped up on her little cozy house thing and was trying to clean herself off. I have determined that since she isn't just hiding in the house thing and is out and about she must be feeling much better. She was pretty unhappy when I picked her up monday.

 

[pointsalamander]