Infection???? Week old wound on my Rhode Island Red

[chickenjoe18]

This is a wound on the back of the leg on my RIR. We noticed she had an odor yesterday, I’m concerned about infection. What steps should I be taking?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC
If you have vet care that is always best.
I would keep her where flies can't get at the wound, they will lay eggs and cause it to become much worse.
Flush the wound really well with betadine or chlorhexidine. Trim the feathers away from the wound so you can see it better and feathers don't stick to it so easily.
Apply triple antibiotic ointment.

Since there is an odor, to me, that indicates infection. Personally I would administer antibiotics to help fight infection. Sometimes a really good daily flushing/cleaning for a will take care of it and a chicken heals up fine without medication. If you have antibiotics on hand, tell us what you have. Amoxicillin or Baytril can be ordered online, so if you can get one of those quickly, then that would be what I would use. Otherwise, Tractor Supply carries Procaine Penicillin G in the refrigerated section.

 

[chickenjoe18]

Welcome To BYC
If you have vet care that is always best.
I would keep her where flies can't get at the wound, they will lay eggs and cause it to become much worse.
Flush the wound really well with betadine or chlorhexidine. Trim the feathers away from the wound so you can see it better and feathers don't stick to it so easily.
Apply triple antibiotic ointment.

Since there is an odor, to me, that indicates infection. Personally I would administer antibiotics to help fight infection. Sometimes a really good daily flushing/cleaning for a will take care of it and a chicken heals up fine without medication. If you have antibiotics on hand, tell us what you have. Amoxicillin or Baytril can be ordered online, so if you can get one of those quickly, then that would be what I would use. Otherwise, Tractor Supply carries Procaine Penicillin G in the refrigerated section.

I don’t have any antibiotics at this time. And I have no experience using them. She’s been in the house or the garage, in a dog kennel, since the neighbors dog got her. I have been flushing with vetericyn twice a day and covering with neosporin. I feel like my biggest mistake was not cutting back enough feathers. Is the goal to leave the wound completely free from feathers? I trimmed more back tonight but may have to do more in the morning.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I don’t have any antibiotics at this time. And I have no experience using them. She’s been in the house or the garage, in a dog kennel, since the neighbors dog got her. I have been flushing with vetericyn twice a day and covering with neosporin. I feel like my biggest mistake was not cutting back enough feathers. Is the goal to leave the wound completely free from feathers? I trimmed more back tonight but may have to do more in the morning.

Well, you do want to trim them so they don't get into the wound if possible. There is not a hidden wound that has been missed? I would re-check her over.
Flush the wound really well. Then apply the Vetericyn or triple antibiotic ointment.

If it continues to smell bad after all that, then I would use some antibiotics to help fight infection.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC @chickenjoe18 . Sorry about your hen being wounded. The disinfectants that @Wyorp Rock has recommended are easily found at places like Walmart in the first aid section, as well as at some farm stores. What ones do you have available at home? What state or country are you in? Initially disinfecting the wound should make it smell better and continuing to clean and apply antibiotic ointment will help it heal.

 

[chickenjoe18]

Welcome to BYC @chickenjoe18 . Sorry about your hen being wounded. The disinfectants that @Wyorp Rock has recommended are easily found at places like Walmart in the first aid section, as well as at some farm stores. What ones do you have available at home? What state or country are you in? Initially disinfecting the wound should make it smell better and continuing to clean and apply antibiotic ointment will help it heal.

I’ve been using vetericyn plus. In a spray bottle. I usually spray her in the morning and again when I get home. We’ve been applying neosporin in the evenings. I live near the twin cities metro on the Wisconsin side of the border. Is there a disinfectant with a little more punch that I should be using? I’ve got a coworker who is bringing in some baytril oral 10% that I was going to try. Will that help or do I need to be looking at something IM?

She has also had some watery poops with a gross looking white substance in them.

I’m really starting to fear for the worst.

 

[getaclue]

I like flushing with betadyne solution. It not only kills germs, but being a liquid, it gets into places that an ointment can't. Many feed store, and Tractor supply sell injectable antibiotics, which can be administered orally, instead of injecting them.

 

[chickenjoe18]

I’m going to pick up some betadine after I put the kids down. With it Having an odor would it make sense to scrub a bit with like a cotton swab soaked in betsdine? Or am I better off just flushing? I’m going to trim back some more feathers tonight as well. I’ll follow up with an updated picture. Thanks for all the help!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

The betadine 10% is good initially to use, but then you can go back to the Vetericyn if you wish after it looks and smells better. You can apply it with gauze or cotton, or pour it on. You can use the 10% Baytril—it is a great antibiotic. Dosage is 0.05 ml per pound given twice a day for 5 days. That is around 0.25 ml or 1/4 ml for a 5 pound hen. It is banned in chickens, but it is used by many vets in the US and elsewhere. I would toss any eggs she lays for a month after stopping the antibiotic.

 

[getaclue]

I'd flush it, not scrub it. You can wrap a clean towel that you don't care about, around the chicken. Lay it down, gently pull out the wounded leg, and squirt it good. Wait a few minutes, then do it again. When it dries some, then put a good layer of triple antibiotic ointment on it. I would not scrub it. Normally, I wear rubber gloves, and gently apply the ointment with a gloved finger. The Betadine doesn't burn, nor does the triple antibiotic ointment, so the chicken should not fight you much.

Depending on the setup of your hospital cage, if you think it might get too much dirt, or bedding stuck to the ointment, loosely cover it. I prefer the large telfa type (nonstick) pads. Tape the top to secure, lift a little to tent it over the wound, then tape the bottom to secure. I don't recommend gauze pads, because they tend to stick into the wound, and getting them unstuck from the wound can undo the healing progress. For now, I'd flush, and apply ointment twice a day for the next few days, since the odor would indicate infection. After the infection clears up, and the odor is gone, you can do it once a day for a couple weeks.

This is not going to heal quickly, but given enough time, should heal just fine.