Possum Attack - Hen scratched BADLY

[ferngullyfarm]

A possum got into our coop tonight before we were able to close up the girls. One hen is still missing & my 1 yr old Black Copper Maran, Henrietta, is pretty badly injured.

The wound is at least a few inches long, & it seems like it only removed the skin from her muscles? If that makes sense.. I have a photo of the injury. In it, you can see the claw marks, which seem superficial. The furthest right claw is the long, deep gash. I can’t get a good photo, as the concerning & longest portion are hidden beneath her feathers..

My question is.. is this wound something I can treat from home? I know to put HenHeal (blue ointment) on wounds, so the other chickens don’t peck her, but can I put it on such a deep injury? It almost seems like she needs her skin stitched back together, but I know that has to be expensive..

 

[User635240]

It *should* heal on its own. Isolate hen for 2-3 weeks. It sounds like a traumatic event but tbh the wound doesn't look that bad. Spray wound with blucote or iodine, cover with nonstick pad, wrap pad with sticky stretchy athletic wrap/roll, criss cross over and under wings so it stays in place. If you have antibiotics like penicillin, amoxicillin, moxy forte, give orally as well. If it were my chicken I would just do the disinfecting spray and isolation and let it air dry and monitor for a couple weeks.

 

[ferngullyfarm]

It *should* heal on its own. Isolate hen for 2-3 weeks. It sounds like a traumatic event but tbh the wound doesn't look that bad. Spray wound with blucote or iodine, cover with nonstick pad, wrap pad with sticky stretchy athletic wrap/roll, criss cross over and under wings so it stays in place. If you have antibiotics like penicillin, amoxicillin, moxy forte, give orally as well. If it were my chicken I would just do the disinfecting spray and isolation and let it air dry and monitor for a couple weeks.

Thank you for your response! I sprayed her with an organic antifungal/antibacterial & put some blue HenHealth on her, but I don’t have any oral antibiotics. She’s eating & drinking normally as of now, & she refuses to let me isolate her (her bestie was missing until this morning, so she was panicking).

My plan is to let her do some chickening for a few hours, then do another round of wound cleaning & bandage her or do some butterfly stitches. I know the photo makes the injury seem pretty small, but there’s a huge gash that I’m worried about.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I know to put HenHeal (blue ointment) on wounds, so the other chickens don’t peck her, but can I put it on such a deep injury? It almost seems like she needs her skin stitched back together,

Welcome To BYC

For a possum attack and deep ripping of tissue, I'd get some Chlorhexidine or Povidone Iodine and flush/clean the wounds generously/very well. Trim feathers away from the wound, so they don't get stuck during the scabbing/healing process.
Apply triple antibiotic ointment to the wounds.

I would not cover, stitch or bandage the wounds. They will heal from the inside out. Even when cleaned, this is a dirty wound, by covering it, you risk sealing in bacteria, the wound needs to have air to it.

The only time you need to consider any type of covering is if the hen begins to pick at the wound, then you'd use a hen saddle or cover with an infants t-shirt.

Hen healer is a nice product, but it is not an antibiotic ointment, it's a lanolin based soothing cream really. I've used it on irritated skin and it works well, but for this you want triple antibiotic ointment.

If you have an oral antibiotic on hand, it may be necessary, but if the wounds are cleaned and tended to daily, most of the time they are not needed.

 

[ferngullyfarm]

Welcome To BYC

For a possum attack and deep ripping of tissue, I'd get some Chlorhexidine or Povidone Iodine and flush/clean the wounds generously/very well. Trim feathers away from the wound, so they don't get stuck during the scabbing/healing process.
Apply triple antibiotic ointment to the wounds.

I would not cover, stitch or bandage the wounds. They will heal from the inside out. Even when cleaned, this is a dirty wound, by covering it, you risk sealing in bacteria, the wound needs to have air to it.

The only time you need to consider any type of covering is if the hen begins to pick at the wound, then you'd use a hen saddle or cover with an infants t-shirt.

Hen healer is a nice product, but it is not an antibiotic ointment, it's a lanolin based soothing cream really. I've used it on irritated skin and it works well, but for this you want triple antibiotic ointment.

If you have an oral antibiotic on hand, it may be necessary, but if the wounds are cleaned and tended to daily, most of the time they are not needed.

She’s in her baby onesie now, thank you for that advice! She wouldn’t leave the wound alone. It’s definitely starting to get infected, so I’m sure it’s bothering her. I applied some neosporin & im hunting for antibiotics now!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She’s in her baby onesie now, thank you for that advice! She wouldn’t leave the wound alone. It’s definitely starting to get infected, so I’m sure it’s bothering her. I applied some neosporin & im hunting for antibiotics now!

If you are noticing it getting infected, I highly recommend that you get some Chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) or Povidone Iodine and really clean out the wounds well. You can usually find these 2 products at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, etc.
IF you can't get those, then re-clean the wounds with a mild soap/water (rinse well) or with saline. You can make your own if necessary. (2 teaspoons of table salt in 1 quart of water, boil this solution, let cool, then rinse her wounds).

Do look underneath her just to be sure there's no other wounds missed. It happens. We focus on what is obvious/what we can readily see and there can be punctures/abrasions hidden under feathers.

Antibiotics may be hard to find depending on where you live, they have mostly been pulled from shelves as of last year. Some things you can still get if ordered online.

You do want to keep her where the others can't pick at her, or flies get on the wound. Flies will lay eggs which can emerge into maggot in less than 24hrs given the right conditions. You don't want maggots, nor to deal with them. They can damage tissue and cause further infection.

 

[ferngullyfarm]

If you are noticing it getting infected, I highly recommend that you get some Chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) or Povidone Iodine and really clean out the wounds well. You can usually find these 2 products at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, etc.
IF you can't get those, then re-clean the wounds with a mild soap/water (rinse well) or with saline. You can make your own if necessary. (2 teaspoons of table salt in 1 quart of water, boil this solution, let cool, then rinse her wounds).

Do look underneath her just to be sure there's no other wounds missed. It happens. We focus on what is obvious/what we can readily see and there can be punctures/abrasions hidden under feathers.

Antibiotics may be hard to find depending on where you live, they have mostly been pulled from shelves as of last year. Some things you can still get if ordered online.

You do want to keep her where the others can't pick at her, or flies get on the wound. Flies will lay eggs which can emerge into maggot in less than 24hrs given the right conditions. You don't want maggots, nor to deal with them. They can damage tissue and cause further infection.

I actually happen to have some Hibiclens! Wow, I didn’t even think of that & didn’t recognize its other title. She’s resting now, but she did manage to get out of her baby onesie. I have her in my garage; hopefully, a stray fly hasn’t made its way in, but we put fly traps up just in case!

I believe my mom has some left over antibiotics, which isn’t ideal, but I think may suffice? I know it’s for humans, but from what I’m finding online, I would just adjust the dosage? Also, would I treat her like a human & feed yogurt to replenish the good gut bacteria?

Thank you again for all your help! This has been a traumatizing experience for my flock & myself, & I didn’t know where to begin without the help of you & this group.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I actually happen to have some Hibiclens! Wow, I didn’t even think of that & didn’t recognize its other title. She’s resting now, but she did manage to get out of her baby onesie. I have her in my garage; hopefully, a stray fly hasn’t made its way in, but we put fly traps up just in case!

I believe my mom has some left over antibiotics, which isn’t ideal, but I think may suffice? I know it’s for humans, but from what I’m finding online, I would just adjust the dosage? Also, would I treat her like a human & feed yogurt to replenish the good gut bacteria?

Thank you again for all your help! This has been a traumatizing experience for my flock & myself, & I didn’t know where to begin without the help of you & this group.

Depends on the antibiotic you have, we'd need to know the name of it, etc. Seeing the label would be helpful, just mark/edit out any personal info., then we may be able to help with dosing.

It's a good idea to offer probiotics after finishing antibiotics. 1 tablespoon of quality plain yogurt daily should be sufficient.

 

[ferngullyfarm]

Depends on the antibiotic you have, we'd need to know the name of it, etc. Seeing the label would be helpful, just mark/edit out any personal info., then we may be able to help with dosing.

It's a good idea to offer probiotics after finishing antibiotics. 1 tablespoon of quality plain yogurt daily should be sufficient.

Found an unopened bottle of this! Would this work? Google is unclear in regards to chickens lol

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Found an unopened bottle of this! Would this work? Google is unclear in regards to chickens lol

I do not see it in the Plumb's Vet Drug manual nor any other formulary information that I have, so wouldn't be able to tell you dosing or whether or not it *could* be used for your hen.