This is a bantam mix hen, who got into a 3 hour battle with a young cockerel on Thursday. Most of her head feathers are plucked out, her comb horribly torn up.
I cleaned the injuries, have applied antibiotic ointment, and the head and comb are scabbed over and looking good. The swelling has gone down. She is in a 'hospital' cage, and eats, drinks and roosts normally, so that's OK.
However, the cockerel seems to also have gotten the side/front of her head when pecking her. The left nostril is no longer visible at all. Completely scabbed over.
Can a chicken breathe adequately through only one nostril? Or does this need to be remedied before she goes back to the more active flock lifestyle? Should I be actively soaking/debriding that part of the scab to keep the nostril from being permanently sealed from scar tissue?
Does someone have a diagram of a chicken respritory system...interior? As I try to 'scrub' the nostril open again, I'd like to be sure I'm not going to accidently damage some important brain function that is 3 mm from where I'm cleaning.
Chickens can't breathe through their mouths like we do, can they?
Thanks for any info ....
I cleaned the injuries, have applied antibiotic ointment, and the head and comb are scabbed over and looking good. The swelling has gone down. She is in a 'hospital' cage, and eats, drinks and roosts normally, so that's OK.
However, the cockerel seems to also have gotten the side/front of her head when pecking her. The left nostril is no longer visible at all. Completely scabbed over.
Can a chicken breathe adequately through only one nostril? Or does this need to be remedied before she goes back to the more active flock lifestyle? Should I be actively soaking/debriding that part of the scab to keep the nostril from being permanently sealed from scar tissue?
Does someone have a diagram of a chicken respritory system...interior? As I try to 'scrub' the nostril open again, I'd like to be sure I'm not going to accidently damage some important brain function that is 3 mm from where I'm cleaning.
Chickens can't breathe through their mouths like we do, can they?
Thanks for any info ....
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