To cover wound or not to cover?

[Jenjens]

My hen has a really bad wound from my Rooter's spur. Not just a small hole, but like a 3-inch size.

(I have filed down his spur, I feel so bad I could have prevented this)
I washed her wound, spray with diluted iodine and then vertericyn. Husband is getting blu-kote spray today.

It was still bleeding last night, so I put gauze on her wound and then wrapped it up all around her body to keep the gauze in place with medicine tape . Please be easy on me if this was a mistake. In 4 years, this is my first major wound, and I have no experience in wound care.

This morning, I wanted to spray her wound again with vetericyn and I seemed to have possibly not thought things through in my panic. the tape I used to bandage her was super hard to get off and the gauze was stuck to her wound. I did get that of by spraying it to moisten it up.

I decided that just caused her more pain and stress doing that, so I sprayed the wound with the spray and just let her be. tonight I will do the same and then add blu-kote. long story short, I have no idea what I should be doing. Should it be covered or does the spray just do it's job? (something I heard on youtube)

Luckily she was still alive this morning when I came in to see her in the garage and made happy sounds when I presented her with some chopped up egg, but the wound is BAD.

Thank you

 

[SmiYa0126]

My hen has a really bad wound from my Rooter's spur. Not just a small hole, but like a 3-inch size.

(I have filed down his spur, I feel so bad I could have prevented this)
I washed her wound, spray with diluted iodine and then vertericyn. Husband is getting blu-kote spray today.

It was still bleeding last night, so I put gauze on her wound and then wrapped it up all around her body to keep the gauze in place with medicine tape . Please be easy on me if this was a mistake. In 4 years, this is my first major wound, and I have no experience in wound care.

This morning, I wanted to spray her wound again with vetericyn and I seemed to have possibly not thought things through in my panic. the tape I used to bandage her was super hard to get off and the gauze was stuck to her wound. I did get that of by spraying it to moisten it up.

I decided that just caused her more pain and stress doing that, so I sprayed the wound with the spray and just let her be. tonight I will do the same and then add blu-kote. long story short, I have no idea what I should be doing. Should it be covered or does the spray just do it's job? (something I heard on youtube)

Luckily she was still alive this morning when I came in to see her in the garage and made happy sounds when I presented her with some chopped up egg, but the wound is BAD.

Thank you

Hi! Can you post a picture? I wouldn't cover the wound. Clean it twice a day with either saline or warm soapy water, if you have a squirt bottle so you can irrigate it, it would be great. Let it dry and then spray with bacitryn and cover with plain antibiotic ointment. Keep an eye for infection. I usually take a good deep sniff of the wound to make sure it doesn't smell bad.

 

[Mary Poopins Love]

Corn starch and antiseptict powder will help the bleeding

 

[coach723]

The vast majority of time it's better to leave the wound uncovered. Covering can actually close bacteria in and make it more hospitable for infection. Exceptions are when there is no other way to keep it clean (like foot issues/bumblefoot). Flush it as needed to clean it, and keep it covered in a plain antibiotic ointment to keep the wound covered in that and moist (that will aid healing), reapply as needed. Signs of infection are bad odor, redness or swelling beyond what the injury trauma would indicate, pus or discharge. Most of the time they heal up really well, even from some pretty awful injuries, as long as it's kept clean and there is no infection.

 

[Jenjens]

Thank you all. I don't know how I can apply anitbiotic to the wound since it is all flesh. There is no skin at all. Will Vertericyn and blu-kote be okay instead.

 

[coach723]

You can clean it with veterycin, and let it dry. Then apply the ointment. The ointment will stick, you may have to use a fair amount at first. Blu-Kote is better for small, shallow wounds. Using it on the deeper ones is not optimal. It won't keep it moist (which helps with healing) and it will disquise the color of the wound, which can make it hard to tell if the tissue is healthy or not.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Thank you all. I don't know how I can apply anitbiotic to the wound since it is all flesh. There is no skin at all. Will Vertericyn and blu-kote be okay instead.

@Jenjens No worries, just put alot on so it's covered. My cockerel was scalped by the hens last summer from comb to bottom of neck. I squeezed the tube and put a thick layer of it and then used my finger to smash it all together. It melts from body heat and the feathers will look messy but it will be ok in the end.

 

[Jenjens]

Thank you!

 

[SmiYa0126]

How is she?!