Base of the comb wound questions...

[1CityChick]

Hello,
I have an 11 month old hen who was attacked this morning by the other chickens. There were loads of feathers in the coop, but the only wound I can find is at the base of her comb. I hit it with some saline water and peroxide, and the wound opened up and started bleeding again. I got the blood to stop, and applied some antibiotic cream. It is oozing blood now... (Maybe I should have left it alone.)

Can you give me any tips for wound care in this area that I may have missed?

Also, she had seemed to be getting along fine with the other hens in the flock before I took her in to inspect the injury. Do you think it would be ok to put her back in with them, or should I leave her out? I do know that leaving her out too long might cause more problems.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[alex991]

If the wound is not too deep and you can stop the bleeding apply Betadine. It is a surgical wound cleaner and it is very similar to iodine. It will help clean the wound and prevent infection. If it is too deep I have always put liquid band aid on it. Liquid band aid is like superglue and is a great alternative to stitches. You can find it at mose drug stores

 

[Suzie]

If you have any blue kote...use that to cover the blood area...I would further suggest that you keep the chicken isolated for now...chickens will peck at bloody areas and will cause further damage...one of my Roosters was savagely attacked and his comb was badly injured...I thought the bleeding would never stop..I used betadine to clean and applied antibiotic powder and blue kote...he was not the centre of attention after..he is back to full health now.

Good luck!