One of our 10 day old chickens got half her head degloved in an accident. It didn’t bleed much, but half the back of the head was missing skin. I kept it isolated in a dark place and treated it with plain Neosporin, and things seemed to be going well. After about 4 days the chicken was doing a lot better and feeling antsy, so I moved it into the brooder with the other chickens, but separated by plexiglass so they could see each other but not peck at the wound. The chicken looks otherwise healthy and is actually a tiny bit heavier than her siblings. It is now two weeks since the injury.
For the past few days, the wound has looked like pictured, with not much movement. I’m trying to keep it moist with either Veterycin, Veterycin Dressing Gel or Manduka honey at separate times, but I’m not seeing any change over several days. Is that skin in the bottom of that hole or just dried out muscle? Is that stuff around the edges dried out honey or something else? What is the dark patch in front of the wound? Dried-out skin? A scab?
Any advice on how I can get her over the finish line so she can join the other chickens without getting pecked at would be appreciated.
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Well, the pic is too low res for my eyes to try and figure out what the dark patch is. Could be what would be called granulation tissue if this were a human; no clue of veterinary medicine uses the same term.
I assume you’re flushing the wound with sterile saline when reapplying the various products? If not, then those products that need tissue contact to do their job won’t be as effective. That being said, you always expect healing to hit a plateau.
Honestly? This really needs a pro to check it out. Chickens heal incredibly well, but it’s a severe wound that’s not progressing. I have decades of human wound care experience, and I’d be seeing a vet for this at least once.
I mean, doing a wet on wet application is almost certainly what they would do, so it’s not about the basic methodology, it’s the details. And once a wound like that stops filling in, it can become a permanent thing, and that is not a good outcome. There should be several ways to encourage continued tissue growth, but it’s all about evaluating it in person, you dig?
But! There’s no visible sign of infection, and the margins are clear enough overall.
Thanks for the reply!
I didn’t have sterile saline on hand, so I’ve been rinsing it with Veterycin instead. Looking closer at the dark patch in the front, I’ve realized that it looks kind of leathery, and it’s actually not touching the wound, but kind of bridging across it without touching it. This leads me to believe it’s a dried out skin flap from the edge of the original injury.
I agree it’s probably about time to see a professional.
It looks like it’s healing fine. It will probably take a while to fully close up. If the other chicks don’t peck at it, you’re probably fine reintroducing it.
Mind you I’m just a random internet person, not a doctor.
