URGENT. Peeps, how can I dress a wound in a chicken.

[JLeigh]

My husband got one of the dogs with the pellet gun - stung him, but didn't hurt him (badly enough). Next time though...........

. Okay, so no stitches unless I have to, and from what you say, I don't have to. But you mean she'll heal on her own? That's hard to believe, but good news. If it happened to me, I'd have to spend the night in the hospital under heavy sedation and seek counseling for a year to get over it (but then I'm a wuss).

Here's what I'm going to do:

First, mix a scotch (not for the bird)
50/50 hydrogen peroxide/water, pat dry
Pour a little Dakin's solution (found the recipe) on it - both peroxide and Dakins can't hurt, right?
Pat dry
Neosporin - lots of it
Mix another scotch
Keep her caged in the basement tonight
Put her in the coop in the cage with other birds until she heals

I'll keep the Neosporin on her religiously, then when she heals some, use the Blu-Kote and hope for the best.

 

[JLeigh]

LOL.. pass out.

Actually I wouldn't bother stitching it, but she would probably heal faster if you did put in a couple stitches. Regular thread, or thin fishing line, even dental floss will work. Just disinfect it before you start sewing. A regular needle is fine (disinfect that too), as long as the thread fits thru the eye.

Good luck, don't hit your head on the way down!

Funny. Very funny.

I can hear it now, though.
Doctor: "How did you get that gash on your head?"
Me: "I passed out"
Doctor: "From what?"
Me: "From trying to sew up a chicken."
Doctor: "Before or after you cooked it?"
Me: "Oh, no. This was a living chicken"
Nurse: "Should I call for a psych consult now, Doc?"

And Peeps, you've been doggin' me for a long time for pictures. I did pretty good, huh!

 

[JLeigh]

Dakin's Solution

Here's a link. There are different strengths. I'm assuming the weakest is best?

http://www.virginia.edu/uvaprint/HSC/pdf/09024.pdf

 

[PeepsCA]

Yes she will heal on her own (but yah, if it were me I'd need stitches too, lol...and IV drugs!). It may be ugly to look at for a while and you will need to clean it with Dakin's and put fresh Neosporin on it every day or every other day, but she'll heal and grow back feathers within a few weeks. Skip the stitches and have an extra Scotch, lol.

I wouldn't use peroxide and the Dakin's both at the same time. Peroxide/water for now, while you are workin' on making the Dakin's. then when the Dakin's is cool enough to use (baby bottle temp?) flush the wound really well and wash all the peroxide away. I'm not sure what they will do if they mix (might smoke and fizz like a crazy science project, lol). Dakin's alone is a good wound cleanser tho... it's back from the war days, the soldiers would mix it up on the battlefield to doctor/clean/disinfect war wounds. Neosporin works wonders on poultry. Better than it does on humans I think, lol.

I'd find the owner of that dog and tell them they need to replace the dead Hen, and pay for Blue-Kote and a couple tubes of Neosporin at the very least.... or report it to animal control, or both. Owners of loose poultry killin' dogs tick me off royally.

 

[PeepsCA]

I've always used it full strength, with no issues.

ETA..
That's the same link I posted (the link in my post works fine on my browser). I also emailed it to you, earlier.

If you need me again email me... I need to go watch my baby Turkeys hatching, I am missin' it, lol.

 

[JLeigh]

Okay. The third chicken came home limping, and has some wounds, but NOTHING like the photos above. So all three lived so far. Our only rooster, whom we kept to protect the hens, hid in the woods and doesn't have a scratch on him. Hmmmmm.....

I have the two worst hens in a "hospital" cage which I separated by wire so they wouldn't peck each other and the rooster and third hen (the least hurt) in the coop outside. I treated all three with 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water, patted dry and slathered on the Neosporin.

Tomorrow I'll use Dakins Solution daily, and reapply Neosporin every day until they start to heal, then I'll use Blu-Kote. I just hope they don't get infections.

Did I miss anything?

Thanks everybody.

 

[PeepsCA]

Yah, a crushed clove of Garlic in their water, lol.

Glad the 3rd Hen showed back up!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would skip the stitches since it is a"dirty wound" ie--a dog bite. You don't want to sew up a dirty wound since it could abcess, so leave it open to heal from the inside out. It's not so important what you clean it with, but keep the neosporin ointment on it, and get the Blu-Kote spray or dab-on to color it blue so they don't peck her, and use it on the others, too.

 

[JLeigh]

Eggscessive, thanks - I didn't stitch it up, and I won't. Yesterday I put the peroxide and water on them all, then the Neosporin - heavy. They're still alive this a.m. I put them in the basement where it's a bit warmer than outside (rabbit cage that's separated by wire so they can see each other but not peck) and they can't move much, but I don't think that will hurt them for a day or two. We were expecting rain last night, and I thought that might be too cool. I'll get them out in the coop later today with the others, after I re-dress with more Neosporin. I thought flushing with peroxide again today would be a good idea? But I'll keep them in the cage so they don't get pecked.

Thank you so much for your help. I'll follow up with changes - good or bad.