anything other than blukote?

[chickenbythesea]

Hi, I have a little silver spangled hamburg that's getting picked on and they've drawn blood on the top of her wing. I don't have access to blukote and I'm wondering if there's anything "people" that I can do to cover it up and help keep it from getting infected? I was thinking zinc cream, polysporing etc? She's our only white egg layer so it would be easy not to eat her eggs if we needed to. Any help would be appreciated... she's looking really rough and I don't want to have to rehome her.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you know why they are pecking her? Is one in particular doing this? Taking out 1 or 2 bullies for a week or so may give her a chance to make friends and be accepted by the others, then bring the others back in at a lower pecking order. BluKote is basically alcohol and gentian violet which you can sometimes find in the first aid aisle of drug stores or Walmart in small bottles. Gentian violet is an anti-fungal and an old fashioned (but still worthwhile) medication for thrush and anti-fungal uses. It coats everything dark purple, and that disquises wounds. You could probably even try straight food coloring.

 

[chickenbythesea]

thanks... I will look at the pharmacy... I was thinking of an infant butt paste but will look for what you mentioned. I may even dye some antifungal cream and use that. She's the lowest on the pecking order and while the idea of removing one of the dominant ones out sounds good, it isn't practical... I have no other place to put her. They're all going through this feather plucking stage which is something I've never experienced before but there have been some changes to the flock and our older hens are gone so new order is being worked out. I'm increasing their protein at the moment to see if that helps too. I just noticed when I turned them out today that they've actually drawn blood on her. I won't be able to put anything on her till tomorrow night as I have to work a backshift tonight and she's too fast for me to catch when she's awake, so it'll be tomorrow night... hope something works

 

[24279102]

Try shoe polish. I use the liquid kind - black - but it masks anything that they might be attracted to picking at. I hate it when they are so mean sometimes !!

 

[chickenbythesea]

I just saw the guilty party... one of my lavender orpintons... she pinned her down and pecked her (but she didn't even try to get away?) I also caught this same lavender sitting on her when she was trying to lay... I'm going to have to find a way to make chicken jail....