Help! I have seven girls...one that we do not know the age, three that are eight months old and three that are four months old. One of the four month old chicks has been singled out an has had all her hind feathers and feathers going down one leg pecked off. She also has deep bloody gouges in these same areas.
Is this normal behavior? Should I take her to a vet or does someone know how to treat this? It appears that she is eating and drinking, but I feel I need to do something, but I am not sure what!
Any helpful input or thoughts would be welcome.
Chick being picked on
Oh, my, poor thing. One of the first things I would do is
seperate the birds of different ages, if possible. I have read
that black tar dressing helps seal and heal. The other birds
should not see the red from her wounds. It can't be bandaged
really, and they will continue pecking at her, and could kill her.
At the least, seperate her from all the rest. Birds of differing
ages always will find the low man on the totem pole, and make
it the suboordinate. There will always be the chicken on the
bottom, and the top 'dog' hence the phrase 'Pecking Order'. :o)
If they are the same age, they have a good chance of defending
themselves, even though they must settle for the bottom.
You can also use a bacitracin type of ointment, but this won't
hide the wound. I sure hope your little chickie heals quickly, and
that you can nip this in the bud.
may princess tammy have a better day than this poor chickie!
yes, & when she heals up, put one of the 4 mo olds in to keep her company. maybe when they are older they will not differ so much in size. try to make the separate space with a see through divider, it will make re-introduction go smoother...
hope shes OK wash the wounds & hope for the best. as for the others, to reduce pecking you might put a red light in their. in case another sprimgs a wound, the blood won't be so noticeable...
Definately seperate them for now, but neosporin (or any other topical antibiotic) works fine for wounds. The best for cleaning out wounds is a can of saliene solution for contact lenses. It is lightly pressurized and sterile and irrigates perfectly.
The occular saline is a great idea! I would have never thought
of that. I hope chickie is better today.:o)
may princess tammy have great ideas.
Carrie ~ I haven't had a lot of problems with different ages/sizes of chickens. But, I have had injured girls before. The other girls will try to eliminate anyone who is sick or injured, for flock health.
I agree with the others. I would also say that it might be a good investment to get/borrow a dog crate if you don't have one, or a like sized cardboard box. Then you can set up a little chicken studio apartment in there for your injured gal. I would bring her inside, so she doesn't have to be cold up there in MN while she heals.
Another thing I would recommend is that liquid bandage stuff for the cuts. It makes a very hard seal over them and