When do I give up?

[alang]

I found my one year old hen stumbling into the coop last night after a day free ranging. Something tried to bite off her neck and succeeded in removing the top 50% of the skin from the base of her skull down to back/wings. The wound has a deep pocket to one side and had fly eggs in it. She's indoors and I thought I got all the eggs but this afternoon I have tiny maggots. As far as I know she has not touched her food and only begrudgingly drinks tiny amounts when I put the cup to her beak. I flushed all the maggots I could find with the hose but am I just torturing her for nothing. Anyone have a hen that seemed to have given up actually survive? Ditto with maggots- am I actually going to be able to keep up on them or will they keep coming until she's dead?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry for your having to deal with that decision, I'm not very experienced with chicken 1st aid but I'm sure others will peep in shortly.

Only you can decide how much she deal with. Try offering her some scrambled eggs and continue offering water, the feed store people should know what kind of antibiotics you could add to her water. As much as it seem frugal, keep flushing the wound with a syringe to get the maggots out.

Hoping someone with more experience peeps in very soon. Keep us posted as to her progress...

 

[alang]

She's decided to live I think. Horrible odor improved and only 2 maggots seen today. Your scrambled egg suggestion saved her life I think. So far, this is the only thing she'll eat (hand fed of course) but she's producing droppings again and when I give her brief outings with her friends, she's walking and scratching. She seems too painful to bend her neck down to peck. I just got TMS liquid antibiotics this morning. Anyone have any more suggestions? Any truth to using honey bandages to speed healing?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Any photos?

Hopefully you will be able to get all the maggots out. The horrible odor is most likely because maggots are still in there and she has an infection as well. Flush the wound several times a day with sterile water, saline, Chlorhexidine (Novalsan) or Betadine. I wouldn't cover it with any bandage, the wound needs air. After flushing I would let it dry naturally, for the time being apply something like Vetericyn Spray on the wound. Honey is beneficial and can be used on wounds, but with the maggots still being found, you may want to wait to use the honey to help with healing after the wound if maggot free.

The scrambled egg is good, keep her hydrated - if you have poultry vitamins, add some to her water for a few days.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I've heard of "honey" bandage but not sure what it's all about....Clue me in, please? Glad to hear the scrambled eggs works, she's a fighter. Glad she returned to the coop, she has a fighting chance with your help.

 

[jennyf]

No experience with chickens and honey/sugar but did sugar wraps with a rescue dog that we think came to use after being attacked by a raccoon. She was missing a hand-sized patch of flesh on the top of her hindquarters. The vet said sugar would work as well as honey and was much cheaper. We just packed the wound with LOTS of sugar and changed at least daily, sometimes more often. It was pretty amazing. We took pictures of the progression of healing at the time and within a couple of weeks it had closed. The sugar has antibacterial properties and somehow stimulates healing.

 

[twinsmom6]

I am a pharmacist- just to pipe in.. honey and sugar are not the best for wound healing but may not hurt.. They keep the wound from getting too dry.. best to leave injuries open to the air and clean. Sometimes open to the air and clean can be mutually exclusive when you have lots of animals together. Flushing the wound and keeping maggot levels down is what saved her.. The scrambled eggs provide protein for healing.. The caution I have with putting any sugar or honey in a wound is that it can attract bacteria that find carbohydrates a delight to live on and other insects or birdies may be attracted to and bother the wound. Best for any wound keep it clean and try your best not to put anything in it.. -

 

[jennyf]

Hmmmm, that's interesting. The sugar wraps were actually at the direction of our vet, and if you check into it, they're actually a pretty well-accepted wound treatment protocol, especially for pressure sores.

 

[trudyg]

I don't think sugar is anti-bacterial, necessarily, but it does act to retard bacterial growth. That's why jams and jellies stay good without refrigeration. Sugar/honey was also used on the battlefields before antibiotics. You pack the wound with sugar, then wrap it (gauze/cloth) so it can breathe but no bugs can get to it. Body fluids cause it to crust and make a barrier, somewhat, too. The science may be old, but it still works. Not for a huge wound, but it's worth trying if you don't have anything else to work with.

 

[Blingchix6]

When my Clementine got attacked by a dog, she had some pretty big wounds. My vet recommended rinsing the wounds under running water for 15 minutes twice a day. I covered the wounds with silvadene ointment; it's a prescription ointment used on burn patients. There is silver in it which acts as an antimicrobial. Clementine survived and her wounds healed. I hope your chicken does okay.