Help! Injured Hen

[Ian Clelland]

Hello All,

I need some help with regards to an injured hen. We have 10 Chanticleer Hens and one Rooster we noticed today the the Rooster has pulled all the feathers off the top of one hens head and pecked a hole to her skull. We have put Hibitane Veterinary ointment on it and bandaged it and we have put her in with our Silkie hens. Will she survive this kind of injury and once she is healed should we keep her away form the rooster? This is the first time I've dealt with chickens so not sure how to handle this.

Ian

 

[sourland]

Such wounds generally tend to heal quite well. I have seen birds that have been completely scalped that healed and lived good quality lives. I would be reluctant to return her to the flock after healing.

 

[Ian Clelland]

Thank you for the reply... it's good to know that she will survive. I didn't think it would be a good idea to return her to her abuser.

 

[CooperDooper]

I have a 1yr old buff orpington hen that I separated from the flock (of 9 hens and 1 roo) bc she had 2 huge gash in her head. I nursed her back to health and the feathers are growing in. I have placed her in the area where the chickens free range but kept her in a dog crate and the other chickens didn't seem to mind her being there but the roo was very interested in checking her out.

Tonight, I placed her back in the coop at 10:30pm. Everything seemed calm so after 10 mins of listening - I am going to bed. Do you think it was a mistake to re-introduce her to the flock that beat her up? I never witnessed them picking on her but due to the location, I assume it was the roo? He is a very guy otherwise - my 9 yr old daughter picks him up and snuggles him!

So again - was it a mistake to send her back in? If she does alright tonight and in the morning, do you think the chances of her re-intergrating are good? Thanks!

 

[Ian Clelland]

I hope everything went well with the reintroduction, keep us informed.

 

[CooperDooper]

Well, when I first looked in on them this morning, Clover (the injured one) was roosting next to our roo and everyone looked perfectly happy! But at lunchtime, I noticed that she wasn't out exploring with the others. She was hiding in a nesting box and both of her cuts had opened and had a tiny bit of blood. And her comb had a new injury. I decided to leave her there and keep a closer eye on things. Nothing changed the rest of the day. And she is still hunkered down in that same nesting box. I don't know who is getting her. I only assume it's my roo bc of the location of the wounds on her head?

Hopefully, they will figure it out and she can stay with them, happily. I have 6 eggs due to hatch on Monday so I will be busy with them! Thanks for the well wishes!

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

Best of luck hope everything goes well

 

[azygous]

I had a chick five years ago with an injury just like your hen's. I wrote about it with pictures, and how I cared for the wound. It's linked below this post.

The critical things to do to make sure it heals and doesn't get infected is to clean it every day and keep it moist. You don't necessarily need to bandage it. My chick remained with the flock and the wound never got infected. I was lax during one week during the six week healing process and the healing stopped. I had let the wound dry out and all progress halted. As soon as I got better again about keeping the wound moist, it then healed very quickly.

Chickens will amaze you in their ability to come through some pretty serious injuries.

 

[CooperDooper]

Thanks for the advice and well wishes! Clover has been back with the flock since Tues night when I snuck her in. She has suffered a few pecks to her comb but is holding her own. She is def more comfortable grazing and exploring when we are out with her. She otherwise keeps to herself.
Thanks again