Safe to eat??

I have a pen of 4 month olds; some full blooded White Bresses and some mixed White Bresse/Doms. One of the smaller hens was picked on and the others picked a spot on the back of her head that started bleeding. Before I got to her, they had picked part of her skin off and exposed the skull. I quickly grabbed her and put her into a dog pen inside the larger pen so she could still be with them but not picked on. A day and a half later she somehow managed to get out of the pen (it has pretty big gaps) and was back in the larger pen. This time the others had ripped all of the skin off the back of her head, fully exposing the skull and neck bones in places. She was still quite alive and eating, drinking when I put her back in isolation. I sprayed her with Blue Kot but I don't think she'll ever grow skin back on her exposed skull. I am also thinking that for whatever reason, she will always be picked on if I put her back in the flock. There must be something about her that the others just don't like.

Anyway, we are going to process some birds and we were thinking of processing her along with the roos. Do you think she is safe to eat?

Thanks.

Anybody?

Research on blue cote that you have applied was that just recently? Normally if you use blue cote eggs are not even advisable to eat therefore their system must have absorbs the chemical.

Spartan22 said:

Research on blue cote that you have applied was that just recently? Normally if you use blue cote eggs are not even advisable to eat therefore their system must have absorbs the chemical.

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Really!? Can you link a source?
I've never read that one.

I wondered about the Blue Cote. Also wondered about the possibility of infection from the wound. So is the general concensus not to eat?

Would you guys just go ahead and put her down, or try to nurse her back into general health and re-integrate? I am afraid that whatever personality quirk got her picked on in the first place will continue and she will eventually be killed by the flock.

Advice?

If it was a conflict of the pecking order and not an illness then she would be safe to eat. As to whether to put her down or nurse her back and likely have it happen again it has to be your decision. Non of us were there to see the conflict or how bad her injuries.

I would have to be VERY hungry to eat any critter that's had an injury that severe, and treated with medication. Mary

Spartan22 said:

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Thanks.....says 'not for food producing animals' but has no withdrawal info.
I think that's just a disclaimer as they didn't test it....doesn't mean it will kill you if you use it on a layer and eat the eggs.

Here's the ingredients:

Active Ingredients: Sodium Propionate, Gentian Violet, Acriflavine,
Inactive Ingredients:
Water, Isopropyl alcohol, Urea, Glycerine, Sodium hydroxide.


I don't see anything there that's going to cause any problems.