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

[spish]

Quote:
just wanted to say i love your blog

have spent ages reading it

 

[spish]

bit of bad news sadly.....drake seemed to have turned on holly and has pecked off all her scabs...i didnt notice until too late and now shes covered in raw bleeding exposed flesh again....im heartbroken for her...we have to start from the begining again. she must be in horrible pain. drake has been evicted and holly is back in quarantine inside

 

[Silkie Sue]

Oh no!!!!
poor girl, she has been through so much....

 

[emvickrey]

When one of my hens got hurt like your Holly did I kept her isolated away from the others till her scabs where gone. She stayed inside till she got some good scabs before I put her outside to avoid the insects eating at it. And she stayed in a pen by herself. I would let her out to free range alone also. After she was able to be with the others she was pretty aggressive towards them but she didn't hurt anybody. Just establishing her pecking order. She ended up being the top hen and was a loyal layer. Everyday even in hot and cold weather. Only during molt did she stop.

 

[Lilkicker]

She is savable. The neck muscles aren't torn, nor does there appear to be any deep tissue damage from the picture. But, if you want to save her, you'll have to work at it. First things first. Amputate the skin that is hanging off with a sharp pair of scissors. Next, slather triple antibiotic over her liberally This will kill any surface bacteria. Next, take a piece of tissue (kleenex) and cut to fit wound size. Place over triple antibiotic. GENTLY wrap another piece around and tape it in place. DO NOT try to remove later. It will act as a skin of sorts until the skin can regenerate. You will keep it moist with triple antibiotic over the next 48 hours.

Now, for shock. She has to be isolated in a warm area that is scrupulously clean. I tend to use clear rubbermaid tough totes with a heat (chick) lamp affixed to the top. She needs to be kept warm and hydrated. You need to boost her nutrition, so I would recommend Nutri-drench in her water and antibiotic chick feed (24-28% protein).

Finally, she needs meds if she is to fight the infection. You need to get LA-200 and small syringes. Give her a shot of antibiotic (about 1 ML) in the thigh. Use a 1/2 in needle, about 20 gauge. If you prefer to not use antibiotics, you could try Sulmet in the water, but the success rate is much lower.

Also, look at the habitat she was in. This injury looks more like she got her head and neck caught in a chicken wire fence - rather than an attack. Hope this helps.

 

[spish]

Quote:
hi thanks for the info but the original post/injury is from over a week ago...she started healing nicely but we have had a little set back after another chicken tore off her scabs. but thanks for taking the time to respond

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so sorry spish this has happened, hopefully she'll be able to bou nce back again with all the TLC you have been giving her.

 

[believer01]

Oh Spish, bless her lil heart and yours too!

Can you stand another suggestion? Do keep her by herself till the feathers are starting to come back in and there's no flesh/scabs to attract anyone's attention. Then don't do like I did with my Scarlett - friends told me to put her on the roost after dark and the others wouldn't realize she'd been gone.......uh-uhhhh!

They all knew and they chased her for days.

Found out that I should have partitioned off a little section of the pen for a few days - let them see one another thru the fence, but not reach each other. After putting the others to bed I could have brought Scarlett back to the safety of the screened porch for night time.

Hugs to Holly!

 

[chickengrl]

Oh dang! Sounds like you will have to keep her alone. You can get her better again. Really sorry about that. After she gets some scab would a hen saddle help protect her some? It might keep it covered. Good luck.

 

[WriterofWords]

Isolation, they hate it but it's got to be done. Show Off was kept isolated from last October until just about a week or so ago when I started taking her outside for brief, chaperoned periods. She still has scabs and I don't trust the others. Right now she has Puddy protecting her so she's enjoying the warm, sunny, albeit windy, day.