Bad luck with pinless peepers

[MontanaMomma]

I put a pinless peeper on one of my hens and her nostrils became infected. I removed the peeper but there is a lump on her beak above her nostrils and black crud and dried blood around her nostrils. Does this sound like a sinus infection or a tissue infection? Her breathing seems okay. Should I give her doxycyline for this?

 

[dawnchick]

I would just clean the wound and use an antibiotic ointment. You would need to do this even if you give a systemic antibiotic. Doxycycline would not be the right choice for a surface wound.

More importantly, you need to look at your setup, learn what caused the need for the peeper in the first place, which in most cases is overcrowding. Many people have had chickens for years and never bought a gadget like that.

 

[MontanaMomma]

I have five hens in over 100 square feet. They have plenty of space so overcrowding isn't the issue. They also have access to grass, bugs and sunshine/fresh air. I feed them scratch, pellets and black sunflower seeds as well as regular kitchen scraps. I used the peeper as an alternative to butchering one of my hens for picking on the other hens. She has taken the role of the aggressive protector and has just gotten a bit too dominating. There hasn't been any blood and the hens don't seem to mind that she pulls their feathers-I think it might be over preening. However, when sub zero weather hits here, those bald spots are not going to be an asset. Her nose it doing much better! Thanks, mm