yucky gash on hen's back/under wing

[Rooneytune]

My fav EE Bertram Van Munster has been spending a lot of time the last few days just sitting in the nest box. I went to check on her today and found that she had a big scabby messy cut on her lower back and under her wing. I gave her a bath and got most of the nastiness off... now what? can I use peroxide on her or nesporin? Shound I try to put a bandage on it??? right now she is penned up in my shower while I figure out what to do for her.... HELP!

 

[LeezyBeezy]

Treat her like you would yourself- wash it out good, apply some antibiotic cream, bandage if possible, keep her quiet, and give good food and water. Good luck!!

 

[Eggcessive]

BluKote spray works good to stain a blue color to prevent pecking. It contains alcohol and gentian violet (an antifungal), so good for infection prevention too.

 

[islandchicken]

If this is a deep or active wound, she will definitely need wound management, twice a day, and keep her quiet and separate from other birds until healing is well along. Process should consist of irrigating the wound with saline solution or water under pressure (if you have a syringe, put it in that and spray it on the wound to help remove any additional debris and encourage new granulation tissue). I would then swab with povidine diluted 1 part to 1 part H2O -- with q-tips to get into any of the really bad areas. For wound treatment on birds, I would use a water-based ointment (vs. a petrolium-based salve); less messing up of the feathers. I really like silver sulfadiazine if you can get it. Otherwise, triple ointment cream. If the wound is very bad, I would also put the bird on an oral antibiotic if possible.



Good luck, and hope this helps.

 

[sourland]

Follow the advice given above. Do you have a rooster in with this hen? If so remove either her or him. This type of injury is frequently caused by a rooster while mating the hen.

 

[Rooneytune]

thanks guys... I cleaned it out as best I could. There is a kind of flap/pocket that I squirted a bunch of hydrogen peroxide into. She is on solitary now (and not happy about it). This is a wound from my roo, who is on his way to a new home in a week or two...