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

[alaskapalo]

I would read up on how they care for people with burns, because burn patients loose their skin on sever cases. Find a cream with silver in it. Silver is a natural antibacterial and also promotes healing. I know it used on burn patients. But the key is to keep it moist and clean. GOOD LUCK!

 

[hollymh]

Air on the wound is beneficial, a warm moist enviroment will just encourage bacteria growth and thus infection. I would clean it with saline or betadine-iodine solution diluted and apply neosporin or bacitracin. Make sure not to apply a suffocating layer of either or it will prevent air-flow to the wound and again could encourage infectious growth.

 

[celticbird]

Drying is or atleast could be a good thing that means its healing

 

[emvickrey]

I had a pullet that nearly the same thing happened to. First of all, don't put gauze on it. That was the only mistake I made. I spent 3 days of 3 times a day picking threads of gauze out of the wound with tweezers. She was an incredible patient.

I didn't read this thread all the way thru but I thought I would at least tell you what I did.

I first cleaned out the bare flesh and I trimmed the feathers on both her neck and the piece of skin that was hanging. I smeared neosporin (without pain reliever) on the raw flesh with a q-tip. Then I placed the skin back over her neck and streached it the best I could and I wrapped her neck with gauze to hold it in place. I didn't have the stomach to sew it back. I have this thing about needles peircing skin. Anyway. I kept her in a 20 gallon aquarium in a quiet room with a screen over the top and a weight on the screen. I provided her with food and water. She had hardly any room to move around and that's how I wanted her to be. Confined. I didn't want her to move around and make the skin displace. Anyway, the next morning I went to take off the gauze and ended up having to slowly cut it off in patches. Thats what I worked so long picking out threads to avoid damaging the healing process. I kept neosporin on it for about 4 days. I also kept the aquarium clean. She'd poop and i'd clean it up. Her area was kept completely clean. I never gave her any antibiotics other than the neosporin. When she no longer had a scab she went back outside. I didn't put her with any other chickens till her feathers grew over the part that the skin didn't cover. She never grew feathers in that spot.

So if you've clipped that skin off, she will heal as long as she don't get an infection. I would think that other chickens will notice that area where there are no feathers and probably peck at it. If she gets bred the roo normally holds on to the feathers on the back of their heads. If she don't have any her skull will be getting damaged. Thats just what I figure what will happen. I can't say for sure.

It was a couple of months before I put mine with any chickens. By then she was so spoiled she dominated the hen house. She was the favorite of every roo I put in the coop. And she laid the biggest brown eggs everyday no matter if it was cold or hot. She ohly stopped once when she went in moult.

Please keep us posted how she's doing.

 

[Chick named Lola]

I wish I had some good advice for you but I have no experience with it. I do want to send you my prayers for her recovery and for you for giving her a chance. So many folks on this board have posted such wise advice, this board is a blessing! Good luck to you both, keep us updated!

Can't wait to hear what name you choose for her, she deserves one! I'd call her Toostie.....Tough Tootsie...

 

[spish]

the kids named her Holly yesterday....why Holly? i have no idea......but it kinda suits her..she looks like a Holly

a little question over her poop if you dont mind me asking, she just did the biggest, wettest poop ive seen in my life (and it stinks worse than broody poop) its like dark brown semi solid grainy bits of poop amid lots of clear watery stuff.....any idea whats causing that? it also looks like she did one pure dark brown almost black watery one (without the grainy lumpy bits in) would that be from the stress maybe or the sudden high protein food/too many sunflower seeds yesterday??

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
I named mine Lucky. Because she was lucky she didn't go to freezer camp. She soon became Lucky Duck. Although she was a chicken. I think she was part goat. Her crop was always full. When I came outside and she saw me she would run to beat the others to the treats I may have had. She would jump to reach it before it hit the ground so she got to it first. She even stole food from one of my grandsons hand. She was a eater for sure. She would push the others out of her way to get to the food and would eat as much as she could before they did. She would come to the door and peck on it too. If she didn't see me come out all I had to do was call her name and she would come running. I hated rehoming her but I really wanted to switch to silkies.
I'm sure she's stealing food from somebody else now.

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
I remember mne had very stinky poops. I don't remember if they where watery. It was about 3 years ago. But when she would poop I would know it and went to clean her pen. I kept her in the house in the spare room in that aquarium. But I didn't give her anything but scratch grains and water. So maybe it was what she ate and the stress.

 

[hollymh]

Quote:
Holly is a good name lol I would know...
As for the poops, I would think it had something to do with the stress.

 

[Frosty]

I have a few critters that get diarrhea when they get stressed.

I haven't read all of the posts, but there is an ointment that I got from the vet called Derma Gel. Here is a link that shows the product: http://www.derma-gel.com/ A quick look on-line I think the going rate is like $18 for the tube (but it goes far). The vet originally gave it to me for the resident town stray cat who came to me with half of the skin missing from his face. The part that was peeled back dried up and fell off, but he healed really quickly with this stuff applied. It keeps the area moist while keeping out contaminants. I had a horse get badly injured and the vet gave me something... I think it was derma cleanse? But I think you want it to heal from the inside out, not the outside in so if any infection forms, it isn't trapped inside.

I wish you the best with her, I do know that look in the eye that says 'I'm not ready to go yet!'.