Bad eye.

[conniesue27]

My female muscovy hen was brooding her egg in a nesting box ground level, I have a broody chicken that just hatched out her peep a week ago. All the chickens would not leave my duck alone and have been beating her up really bad, but she would defend her nest like the good brooder that she is. I noticed yesterday that she was bleeding from her nose and she is all kinds of beat up, and this morning when I went into the hen house is noticed her one eye looks like it's been pecked pretty bad.

I had to step in and take care of the of the problem, I gave her egg to another duck that is also brooding an egg and boarded up her box so she can't get into it. Did I do the right thing? I hate to see her get beat up by the chickens and I can't really seperate her from the rest, I tried to move her but she would have nothing to do with that! I think she has lost sight in that eye and I feel so bad that I had to take her egg away. How long will it take before she starts to act normal, not all broody? Any advise is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Oregon Blues]

Well, actually, the "right thing" would have been to place a barrier around her nest as soon as the first chicken gave her grief.

Next time, OK?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Bully chickens! My chickens try to avoid the ducks as best they can it seems, but who knows what thy would do if they were around a nesting duck. It is hard to say how long she will still have broody behavior, but she will get over it fairly soon without her own egg to sit on. Try to wash off her wounds with something like betadine or iodine in water. Then you can use neosporin even directly in the eye. I used it in my rooster's eye with great success. Make sure you don't use any first aid stuff with benzocaine or any related pain reliever with "caine" in the name. She will probably heal up fine. And even if she loses sight in one eye she will still function pretty well.