Health Question for a wounded chick. Head and neck feathers have been plucked out and looked like he isn't going to make it.
Back ground-
We let our 10 Cornish Cross chicks out to mingle with the flock yesterday, and I decided to let out 'Lightning', our barred rock Roo that is two weeks younger than the Cross chicks out too.He is 4 weeks old today(Oct 12) Since they have been brooded together, they get along splendidly, with Lightning considering the big boys his older brothers so to speak. He's never had trouble standing toe to toe with them even though he's a tenth their size.
We have 9 pullets, 4 Barred Rocks and 5 Rhode Island Reds. We got these as chicks and did the sneak egg swap late at night trick to try getting their broodiness to pay off for us. It worked! We split the Rocks and Reds for the two hens and these two were awesome adoptive moms, doing the things mom chickens do for their chicks.
Three weeks later we got our Cornish Cross chicks and had another broody hen so we tried it again. No Dice this time. The chicks were scattered in the coop, three had bloody specks on their heads, so we separated them and brooded them out in the coop, but separated from the group by wire.
Well, the mothering period is over, the adopted chicks are now full pullets and are on their own. The Moms are back to laying and all was well till yesterday. The 6 hens have been the flock leaders since they were the first we got and do hassle the pullets now and again, but when we let the Cornish Cross out (they are 4 weeks younger than the pullets, but almost twice their size) there is only an occasional fuss to show the pecking order. I think its only occassional because some of the Cross chicks are bigger than the hens! I expected that, and I get that will continue until the Cross chicks get to slaughter week.
The incident I need advice for is the roo. I let them run early in the day- 6 am and I checked them again at noon. There was a bit of clucking and fussing, but no blood, everyone' feathers were where they were at 6.
Evening check and time to go back into the brooder pen for the night and I find the little Roo huddling in a corner trying to be as small as possible, with missing feathers from the back of his head down to almost the top of his shoulders. It looked as though he'd been scalped. Wound size is about 3/8" wide by 1/2" long, I'm thinking a huge wound for such a little guy. I didn't expect to see him alive for much longer, let alone in the morning.
We cleaned him up, put antibiotic ointment on the wound, separated him from all the chickens in our small quarantine cage, turned the heat lamp back on for him(it has been 75-78 here the last two night and he is still young) ample food and water just for him. Since he actively seek out the Cornish chicks when separated, we left the quarantine cage in the main coop next to their (the Cross chicks) roost area. Even hurt, he actually tried to get to them so I'm thinking he needed to be with them. This morning we went back expecting to find him expired but he is still standing, eyes closed, he does move away from and back to the lamp area but he is up on his feet and alive. The left eye is swollen shut, skin taut and raw looking. The ointment makes the skin shiny so it looks bright red, but no active bleeding.
Is there anything I can do for this little guy other than what we've done already?
We have a pen in progress for the Cornish Cross, but it's not finished yet, and they were reaching the top of their brooder pen-hence me letting them out to stretch and run for the day. Needless to say, this pen will be done today and both the Cross and the Roo moved from the hens and pullets, but what else can I do to make this wounded Roo feel better while he recovers?
Thanks
Ken
Back ground-
We let our 10 Cornish Cross chicks out to mingle with the flock yesterday, and I decided to let out 'Lightning', our barred rock Roo that is two weeks younger than the Cross chicks out too.He is 4 weeks old today(Oct 12) Since they have been brooded together, they get along splendidly, with Lightning considering the big boys his older brothers so to speak. He's never had trouble standing toe to toe with them even though he's a tenth their size.
We have 9 pullets, 4 Barred Rocks and 5 Rhode Island Reds. We got these as chicks and did the sneak egg swap late at night trick to try getting their broodiness to pay off for us. It worked! We split the Rocks and Reds for the two hens and these two were awesome adoptive moms, doing the things mom chickens do for their chicks.
Three weeks later we got our Cornish Cross chicks and had another broody hen so we tried it again. No Dice this time. The chicks were scattered in the coop, three had bloody specks on their heads, so we separated them and brooded them out in the coop, but separated from the group by wire.
Well, the mothering period is over, the adopted chicks are now full pullets and are on their own. The Moms are back to laying and all was well till yesterday. The 6 hens have been the flock leaders since they were the first we got and do hassle the pullets now and again, but when we let the Cornish Cross out (they are 4 weeks younger than the pullets, but almost twice their size) there is only an occasional fuss to show the pecking order. I think its only occassional because some of the Cross chicks are bigger than the hens! I expected that, and I get that will continue until the Cross chicks get to slaughter week.
The incident I need advice for is the roo. I let them run early in the day- 6 am and I checked them again at noon. There was a bit of clucking and fussing, but no blood, everyone' feathers were where they were at 6.
Evening check and time to go back into the brooder pen for the night and I find the little Roo huddling in a corner trying to be as small as possible, with missing feathers from the back of his head down to almost the top of his shoulders. It looked as though he'd been scalped. Wound size is about 3/8" wide by 1/2" long, I'm thinking a huge wound for such a little guy. I didn't expect to see him alive for much longer, let alone in the morning.
We cleaned him up, put antibiotic ointment on the wound, separated him from all the chickens in our small quarantine cage, turned the heat lamp back on for him(it has been 75-78 here the last two night and he is still young) ample food and water just for him. Since he actively seek out the Cornish chicks when separated, we left the quarantine cage in the main coop next to their (the Cross chicks) roost area. Even hurt, he actually tried to get to them so I'm thinking he needed to be with them. This morning we went back expecting to find him expired but he is still standing, eyes closed, he does move away from and back to the lamp area but he is up on his feet and alive. The left eye is swollen shut, skin taut and raw looking. The ointment makes the skin shiny so it looks bright red, but no active bleeding.
Is there anything I can do for this little guy other than what we've done already?
We have a pen in progress for the Cornish Cross, but it's not finished yet, and they were reaching the top of their brooder pen-hence me letting them out to stretch and run for the day. Needless to say, this pen will be done today and both the Cross and the Roo moved from the hens and pullets, but what else can I do to make this wounded Roo feel better while he recovers?
Thanks
Ken
