Predator attack

[Stephanie8806]

We had a predator attack today. I can’t find one chicken(or any sign that it got taken, ie the explosion of feathers) but found a different explosion of feathers. I happened to find the hen in the coop and was shocked. Something clearly tried to get ahold of her. Thankfully she was a Cochin and had an extra fluffy but. Whatever it was seems to have gotten ahold of her tail and ripped it a little, but mostly just seems to have gotten a mouthful of feathers.

She does have a large slash in her side, under her wing. Unsure if it was a claw or just the skin being ripped open from the butt grab. There’s zero blood and zero damage to the flesh, but she has a gaping hole in her skin revealing flesh below. The opening is about 2”x3”. I feel certain that if it’s left open she will get an infection. Should I give her stitches? We also have z-zips… I can go get pictures soon, but if I need to close her up, I wanted to start getting responses before the edges of the skin dry up!!!

 

[Evadig]

Hang on, let me see if I can get someone to come help...

@azygous
@Tookie
@Eggcessive
@EggSighted4Life

Tagged y'all cause I don't know who's on or not .

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

We had a predator attack today. I can’t find one chicken(or any sign that it got taken, ie the explosion of feathers) but found a different explosion of feathers. I happened to find the hen in the coop and was shocked. Something clearly tried to get ahold of her. Thankfully she was a Cochin and had an extra fluffy but. Whatever it was seems to have gotten ahold of her tail and ripped it a little, but mostly just seems to have gotten a mouthful of feathers.

She does have a large slash in her side, under her wing. Unsure if it was a claw or just the skin being ripped open from the butt grab. There’s zero blood and zero damage to the flesh, but she has a gaping hole in her skin revealing flesh below. The opening is about 2”x3”. I feel certain that if it’s left open she will get an infection. Should I give her stitches? We also have z-zips… I can go get pictures soon, but if I need to close her up, I wanted to start getting responses before the edges of the skin dry up!!!

I'm sorry this has happened. When my hen got a large wound under wing from a hawk, I cleaned it using sterile water, and sprayed an antibiotic until it healed enough. My goal is NO infection. She healed well, eventually. she also was still doing chicken activities during healing like eating and free ranging. I gave her extra protein in the form of scrambled eggs and chicken in order to help with healing. I admire you for willingness to stitch her. Poor little buddy. I hope shes not suffering and I hope you get the help you need here soon. Number #1 goal-prevent infection.

 

[Tookie]

If she's in shock, give her some sugar water. That'll help with that. Also keep her in a quiet place if she is.
For the wound, rinse it well and apply some antibiotic cream. Make sure it stays clean. Also make sure she's not around flies, cause they can and will go on the wound and lay eggs causing flystrike which is deadly.

 

[azygous]

Here is what I do when I have a predator attack:

Here's what you do in the event of a predator attack to treat the survivor.

1. Treat for shock as the number one step. Give warm Gatoraid or mix a half teaspoon of sugar into a fourth of a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt and baking soda. Have the patient drink it all or syringe it into the beak.

2. Flush the wound well with saline. This is better than soap and water as it maintains the PH of the tissues. But warm soap and water will do. You need to wash away the bacteria from the wound.

3. Inspect the wound carefully. If it has a skin flap dangling, keep that. Do not cut it off. Look for bite, tear or puncture marks indicating a puncture wound. If you see this, the patient will need an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Bacteria from the predator’s mouth can be injected deep into tissue and can kill in as little as 24 to 48 hours. You can order this https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/250mg once a day for ten days. Or you may be able to find this or something similar at TSC or a pet store.

4. Spray with Vetericyn wound treament and let dry. Use a topical antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or a generic without pain killer in it to coat the wound. If there's a skin flap, lay it across the wound that has just been coated with the ointment. Then smooth on a generous amount over the top of the skin flap to hold it in place.

5. It's useless to try to stitch a wound on a chicken. Don't even try. It's also useless to try to bandage a wound other than on the feet. The chicken will not tolerate it. It will be pulled off faster than you can blink an eye. Try using, instead, copious amounts of antibiotic ointment as a kind of "glue" to help the wound close. Or use super glue on freshly cleaned and dried tissue before applying ointment.

6. Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Here is what I do when I have a predator attack:

Here's what you do in the event of a predator attack to treat the survivor.

1. Treat for shock as the number one step. Give warm Gatoraid or mix a half teaspoon of sugar into a fourth of a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt and baking soda. Have the patient drink it all or syringe it into the beak.

2. Flush the wound well with saline. This is better than soap and water as it maintains the PH of the tissues. But warm soap and water will do. You need to wash away the bacteria from the wound.

3. Inspect the wound carefully. If it has a skin flap dangling, keep that. Do not cut it off. Look for bite, tear or puncture marks indicating a puncture wound. If you see this, the patient will need an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Bacteria from the predator’s mouth can be injected deep into tissue and can kill in as little as 24 to 48 hours. You can order this https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/250mg once a day for ten days. Or you may be able to find this or something similar at TSC or a pet store.

4. Spray with Vetericyn wound treament and let dry. Use a topical antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or a generic without pain killer in it to coat the wound. If there's a skin flap, lay it across the wound that has just been coated with the ointment. Then smooth on a generous amount over the top of the skin flap to hold it in place.

5. It's useless to try to stitch a wound on a chicken. Don't even try. It's also useless to try to bandage a wound other than on the feet. The chicken will not tolerate it. It will be pulled off faster than you can blink an eye. Try using, instead, copious amounts of antibiotic ointment as a kind of "glue" to help the wound close. Or use super glue on freshly cleaned and dried tissue before applying ointment.

6. Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

Azygous, thank you for taking the time to help. Your experience and time are so valuable to so many. You pros..... makin' flocks thrive since 95',