UPDATE with PICTURES:Chicken with ripped throat!!!!

[Beaky Buzzard]

As I type, surgery is being performed on our three year old Buckeye hen, Carmel. While taking pictures for the molting photo contest, blood was noticed on her neck. We found the cut in her troat skin as pictured below and are now sowing it shut wuth a needle and regular thread. We have two stiches in so far. Before that we pulled out the feathers directly around the wound and put peroxide on it with a cotton ball. She is holding pretty still for us. We have never had to do this before, and are hoping it turns out ok. It seems to be a new wound and were thinking maybe a hawk got it? She was acting normally outside. I think we caught it early enough to prevent infection. I will post more pictures of the surgery progress later.

 

[Cherstin]

Are you sure you *should* be stitching this? The ends of the wound are already starting to heal. Without debriding, I'm not sure the wound is going to stay closed. When stitching, the most important thing is to make sure that it is clean ... you don't want to seal anything INTO the wound that isn't supposed to be there, or you're doing more harm than good.

I wish there was more advice I could give you ... but unless you can get the sides of that wound to start bleeding again, I'm not sure suturing is going to effectively close it. Fingers crossed!

 

[Beaky Buzzard]

Thank you for the advice! We weren't for sure what to do but did what we thought was best.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I would just seperate her and leave it to heal on its own.

 

[CMV]

That wound is days old. Way past the point when it should be stitched. I'm going to agree with ChickieBooBoo on this one- separate her and let it heal on its own.

Good luck.

 

[Beaky Buzzard]

I'm sure the wound is less than a day old. It still looked wet. They were out while we were away this morning. A Hawk went after the same chicken and our bantam rooster about a week ago, but we saw it coming and scared it away before it could have got them.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
hmm, I don't think that wound is less then a day old. The edges have started to scab over.

 

[NatureBoy86]

Im not gonna say yay or nay but I think if you do stitch just thoroughly clean with peroxide makeing sure you wet the scabs (if formed) to the point that their mushy and can be wiped off, Like humans after a shower. That should allow the two sides to bond after stitching. Just an opinion, Hope she makes a quick recovery. Good luck!

 

[rbaker0345]

Never Never Never Never ever stitch a wound that isn't bleeding uncontrollably or leaking intestines or something like that. That is just a flesh wound and by stitching it, you are closing in bacteria and giving them a warm and moist place to multiply. Cut your losses now, take out the stitches and apply a wound powder or fura spray. Even in the case of bleeding uncontrollably, you only need to stitch the blood vessel, and that is only after you have applied pressure for 15 minutes and there is no slowing of profuse bleeding.
Please take the stitches out, I don't care how clean you got that wound, if your chicken doesn't develop some sort of oozing puss filled abscess and then sepsis, it will only be because chickens have awesome immune systems. I don't mean to berrate you, but this is 20 years of avian veterinary experience speaking.

 

[NatureBoy86]

I dont have 20 years experience but Ive seen dozens of wounds like this sewn up after careful cleaning and never an infection, and not just on chickens. Leaving a wound open in my opinion is asking for a fly to lays in the wound and have maggots form in it, thats a fun cleaning job for ya, But hey who am I lol just stating lived facts.