Help with Mom's Hurt Silkie - *Warning - Graphic PIC on pg 2*

[needmorechickens!]

This is my Mom's silkie rooster today....

He is about 4 mos old. He was fine yesterday. This has happened since then. It is in a 3x5 pen with 6 others that it has been with since they were all tiny. I have never seen them fight.

There are a couple of broken feathers and when I moved one of the feathers, he squawked like it hurt. The skin looks irritated around all the feathers, but no lacerations.

Do you think another chicken did this to him?

So far I have seperated him. I have antibiotics that I can put in the water, electrolytes, blu-kote, neosporin.
He is preening the area, so I don't want him to eat the medicine off if it will harm him.
I haven't noticed any other symptoms and the other chickens are fine.
What is the best way to care for him?
~Rebecca

 

[meriruka]

I'd run some warm water over it and see if you can see what's going on. Look for any punctures, my first impression was something grabbed his wing & pulled. Check the pen for feathers & blood, if you see anything near the pen fence, I'd guess something reached in & tried to grab him. It looks too big an injury for a roo fight.

That said, if you can't find evidence of an attack, keep him separate from the others or they will pick at him.
Hope he recovers!

 

[needmorechickens!]

Their pen is made of hardware cloth (with the small holes) and wood. I am pretty sure nothing can reach in, but I will check the cage.
~Rebecca

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

I would take him into the house and submerge his whole body into the warm water and keep him in it for a while even if you have to put more hot water in the sink
then after the 2nd warm water is filled on to him besure and put 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar in the warm water and keep him there
by using the ACV it will help the injury to heal

I would do this for 4 times two of which groups of warm water has the 1/4 cup of acv this for tonight

then blow dry him and keep him in the dog carrier over night
and do this treatment tomorrow same amts of warm water and acv

in his water give 1 tbsp of ACV per pint of water
and fix him the
probiotic wet mash
3 tbsp of dry crumbles
6 tbsp of milk any kind even dried
1 tbsp of yoguart
and see he eats it in 20-20 minutes
he will need this treatment for three days and should always be blow dryed after warm water acv treatment

the strain of the entangelment will heal good then
acv takes the soreness out of a injury

 

[allmypeeps]

chickens will attack the same spot over and over. It could very well have been a fight-

Check your other birds to see if any of them have dried blood on their heads/beaks...you may be able to figure out the culprits and if they are behaving like that may be good to separate them from the others so no one else winds up like this guy.

Chicken/cock fights can get nasty...especially when the one being picked on does not fight back....often when a fight is started others will jump in and help attack the underdog....sad fact of pecking order.

wash it well, got to CVS/Rite AID etc...get some chlorohexaderm scrub. it is surgical quality. Vets use it. Dilute it and flush the area well with it. Do not rinse it.

pat the wound dry with a soft cloth and allow it to breath so nothing festers. Keep him where he will stay clean and most sanitary so as not to allow further dirt/bacteria into the wound.

Hopefully he will heal and this doesnt happen again....dont reintroduce him into the flock right away even if healed....his abscense and then reintroduction can cause another pecking order upset. Keep him penned next to them until everyone gets use to eachother again (as a percaution).

poor guy!

if the broken feathers are plucked out, they will grow in faster than if waiting for them to moult. (tip I was told from an avian rehabilitator)
e

 

[needmorechickens!]

Thanks for all the great info. It seems like there must have been a fight, but we have not been able to catch someone pecking him or anyone else. We'll keep watching.

I put electrolytes in his water. I also applied Blu-Kote to him and he's white so he'll be blue forever! He is eating, drinking, and seems to be resting well.

So if the feathers are broken off do I need to pull them out?!!

Will it hurt him? Will he bleed?

~Rebecca

 

[allmypeeps]

I am sure it wuld hurt...I think if you don't mind waiting for him to go into a moult and see if those feathers come out then and rejouvinate then that would be the way to go...

I have never purposely plucked for feathers to grow back- just was told rehabilitaors do that because their goal is to get the wild brids ready for release ASAP so need those feathers to regrow. (they also do feather grafting which is amazing!!!)

anyway, seems hes had enough pain to that area for now anyway!

he wont look glamorous, but he will be fine! (in the pic most of them looked bloody and matted- I'm sure warm water wash will clean them and they will dry (or you can dry them with a hair dryer and they will fluff back up nice.)

e

 

[mema2003]

My daughter hasn't given yall an update on the rooster above but two nights later the cage that he was in with two silkie hens(little things) and two silver laced wyondots and two of the prettiest chicken roo and hen that you have ever seen with puff cheeks was torn open from the bottom and all chickens drug out too the hill behind my house and nothing left but feathers. There was a piece of wing from one of the SLW in the cage and some of its feathers right in the yard. We did see a huge dog out there earlier but never dreamed he was after the chickens. I have just been heartbroken over losing my chickens that I raised from babies except for the silkies and they were practically babies when I got them. We worked today trying too secure the cage too put some more small chickens that I have had in tubs. The rooster with the hurt wing in the pic above is not doing so well. His wing is really messed up and I am afraid he might lose it. Husband has been out sitting in his truck a couple of times watching the coops I have out there in the back but haven't seen anything but I feel whatever it was will come back.

 

[ChickyLaura]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I can't imagine how hard that must be to lose your chickens.

 

[lovelychicken]

Soaking any open sores in epsom salt and water mixed together heals up so well!!! I believe in this wholeheartedly, please try it before it gets worse, once or twice a day do this. Just make sure the bird doesn't drink the water. This worked several times on major lacerations to dogs and humans a like. Never tried on birds but can almost guarantee it would, try it for a few days and you'll see.