skinned alive -update 18/4/2011 the update we didnt want :(

[Miss Lydia]

I believe I'd just let her rest in the above until you hear from someone on here that knows about wounds like this. you go cutting now you might finish her off [when I say above I mean in a quiet dark place. .

 

[MSDeb]

I'd bite the bullet and take her to the local vet. Or, at our local farm supply store they put me in contact with a very local "chicken expert" when I had an issue. He certainly helped me save lives. Good luck. I'd hate to kill anything with such a strong will to survive.

On a good note, we have a hen recovering from a cook attack. It lost a fraction of what you are looking at though.

 

[schellie69]

I would put some vitamins in her water, keep her in a dark space. I think you should cut off the feathers that are just hanging there. If you think it is causing her more pain then if you just snipped the rest off. I would say this is going to take a while to heal and you will have to care for her daily maybe 2 or 3 times a day. My question is do you have the time money and energy it will take to get her better. I think they have some meds that spray on that acts like a cover for open wounds. The area will need to be kept clean, dry and more then likely covered. She will need to stay inside so that flies can not get to the wound. Do you have a vet in your area that might be willing to give you antibiotics or meds to help. I am so sorry this happened to your hen. I Know you will make the right choice for her and you. Good luck.

 

[spish]

Quote:
too late. she got it caught in the cage and was pulling, causing bleeding, so ive just brought her back out and sliced it off. i put a bit of cornflour on the cut to stem the flow. seems to be holding.


heres an updated pic now the mass of skin and feather is gone. she is very alert for a just attacked chicken.

 

[schellie69]

She seems to be very alert and I would be worried about infection. You might check around some of the older vets might do some farm calls might be able to help you. I would keep the area clean dry and covered I am surprised there is so little blood loss. Good luck I hope some of the more experienced chicken keeps post soon.

 

[SpringChickens]

Truthfully, chickens are very resilient creatures. I've been shocked many times by what my chickens have recovered from. As others have said, keep her calm and quiet in a dark place, give her plenty of feed with electrolytes/supplements and keep an eye on her. If she hasn't made a significant improvement in 2-3 days, you should probably cull her, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see her recover.

Good luck.

 

[katie197888]

Good luck. I don't know much about recovering them from injuries, but I am glad you are attempting to. I will pray for you and your little hen.

 

[spish]

Quote:
im suprised too, its as if the skin was just pulled off the muscle without damaging anything. the only blood now as you can see is where she just got it caught in the cage (god knows how she got the lump through the bars....it must have been swinging and got stuck

) but she tore the skin.

i have antibiotics here, denagard(sp) and another that has no name on the sachet (i threw the box, its a yellowy powder you put in the water)
i have no electrolytes, but do have lucozade and sports drinks, i can use that cant i?

 

[CMV]

She can be saved if you don't mind separating her from her flock for the several months that it is going to take to heal that wound. She will need to be isolated, with daily wound cleanings and dressings for several weeks. She can heal from that, but isolating a flock animal is a particularly cruel situation for them to be in. Unless she is really special to you I would cull her.

I had a hen survive a wound worse than that, but when she healed her flock refused to accept her back and she needed to be re-homed for her safety. Months of isolation, horribly disfigured after healing, a secondary infection she had to battle through. I saved my hen for me, not for her because it would have been kinder to just put her down.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
im suprised too, its as if the skin was just pulled off the muscle without damaging anything. the only blood now as you can see is where she just got it caught in the cage (god knows how she got the lump through the bars....it must have been swinging and got stuck

) but she tore the skin.

i have antibiotics here, denagard(sp) and another that has no name on the sachet (i threw the box, its a yellowy powder you put in the water)
i have no electrolytes, but do have lucozade and sports drinks, i can use that cant i?

I would mix a little sports drink into her water. make sure she is can drink and eat okay and then keep her in a dark place and watch and see how she does.