bloody back

[sherrihargrove]

my 3 month black australorp pullet is getting pecked on. we noticed a bloddy spot on her back, we took her in the house, cleaned it with h2o2 and applied neosporin. She is in a dog crate in the house. I hope only for aday or two does this spot need to be completely healed before she goes back out or just scabbed over?

 

[FFAChickenFan]

I would let it scab over and see how she does. Chickens, naturally, like to pick at exposed skin, especially if its bloody or red.

If they still are picking, I would try putting a bit of bandage over the wound (like a bandaid)
For one of my chickens who is bullied mercilessly, I knitted her a little "jacket" to wear, and its seemed to work wonders since she got used to it.
Not that Im encouraging you to knit your chickens jackets but.. you know


If you can isolate a particular chicken who is pecking the most, try isolating them for a day or two on high protein feed. Some jail time might fix their attitude.

Hope this helps!

P.S Dont use neosporin with painkillers, it isnt good for your chickens! Basically, if it has any ingredients that end with -caine, try to avoid it! They can cause heart failure and some other nasty stuff. They make neosporin without painkillers, so if you want to use it, try to find some of that!.

 

[Michael Apple]

my 3 month black australorp pullet is getting pecked on. we noticed a bloddy spot on her back, we took her in the house, cleaned it with h2o2 and applied neosporin. She is in a dog crate in the house. I hope only for aday or two does this spot need to be completely healed before she goes back out or just scabbed over?

Is that hen the only Australorp of the group? Some breeds are a bit "picky" such as Rhode Island Reds. The offender must sometimes be removed for a time, and re-introduced as order becomes established. I have clipped beaks and even culled once due to this problem, but it has been rare. A little pine tar is repellent to birds, and can be lightly applied to damaged feather shafts. Pine tar can be found in the equine section in feed stores. A hen apron can also be used to protect that spot along the back as it heals.

 

[Michael Apple]

P.S Dont use neosporin with painkillers, it isnt good for your chickens! Basically, if it has any ingredients that end with -caine, try to avoid it! They can cause heart failure and some other nasty stuff. They make neosporin without painkillers, so if you want to use it, try to find some of that!.

That's a repetitive myth. Kwik Stop gel and powder labeled for birds commonly has Benzocaine in it.

 

[FFAChickenFan]

That's a repetitive myth. Kwik Stop gel and powder labeled for birds commonly has Benzocaine in it.

Dont mean to be picky or anything (and also sorry sherri I dont want to derail your post) but I've had multiple vets attest to the more-harm-than-good nature of "caine" pain relievers in relation to birds. I know lidocaine is toxic to birds as a fact, and since its the most common, I usually discourage use of any related medications as a principle.
I've seen/read vets here in BYC who use these drugs carefully and in small amounts, but warn of possible consequences.
Its my opinion that its more of an issue of dosage than an issue of "is it safe or not". Benzocaine and Procaine are safe in "small" doses, but its hard for backyard chicken raisers to really determine what a safe dosage is. So in my personal position, I'd rather just not risk it than hope I got it right. I suppose its an issue of personal preference- more experience chicken raisers might get it right every time! But Im no expert so I stay away, haha.

 

[Michael Apple]

Dont mean to be picky or anything (and also sorry sherri I dont want to derail your post) but I've had multiple vets attest to the more-harm-than-good nature of "caine" pain relievers in relation to birds. I know lidocaine is toxic to birds as a fact, and since its the most common, I usually discourage use of any related medications as a principle.
I've seen/read vets here in BYC who use these drugs carefully and in small amounts, but warn of possible consequences.
Its my opinion that its more of an issue of dosage than an issue of "is it safe or not". Benzocaine and Procaine are safe in "small" doses, but its hard for backyard chicken raisers to really determine what a safe dosage is. So in my personal position, I'd rather just not risk it than hope I got it right. I suppose its an issue of personal preference- more experience chicken raisers might get it right every time! But Im no expert so I stay away, haha.

I'd like to see those examples of vets on BYC making such claims. I've used Kwik-Stop for decades and have never seen bad reactions from any animal, including birds it is labeled for. If people's prized Amazon parrots or show birds were suffering bad reactions from Benzocaine, it would be omitted from the ingredients of such products.

 

[FFAChickenFan]

Michael, if you'd like to continue our discussion, I think it should probably be done via private messaging, as to not derail the original purpose of this thread.
User "bluedogsonly", a vet who performs decrowing surgeries, has said

"All medications have side effects. I know lidocaine, and assume bupivicaine etc is toxic to birds. I have read a little on meloxicam (a NSAID) for birds but haven't ever used it. I have used flunixine (banamine) and have luck with it but I mainly used it as a fever reducer. There really isn't much sensory innervation to bird skin, so the local anesthetics aren't that necessary in my opinion. I just sew them up it they need it.
Dr. James"
You can also find several scholarly journals warming about the over usage of these medications as well, I can send you a couple if you are interested.

Also, its important to note that in my post I specified that Lidocaine specifically is toxic, while the others are dangerous in large amounts. I personally do not recommend it just because in medications like Neosporin which is for people, not animals it is hard to get a correct/safe dosage. The OP is not using Kwik-Stop, which is meant for birds and probably has a safe dosage, but instead Neosporin, which is meant for people and may be harmful to birds. Therefore, it is my personal opinion as an amateur chicken raiser to another amateur chicken raiser to avoid using it so you do not harm your chickens.

Again, good luck to you sherrihargrove, sorry for derailing your post, I hope your chicken makes a swell recovery and gets picked on less in the future!

 

[dawg53]

Here's a link regarding pain management in birds:
http://www.thebirdclinic.com/Avian_Education/AAV_2004_Lectures/L13_Pain_and_Analdesia/

 

[Michael Apple]

Here's a link regarding pain management in birds:
http://www.thebirdclinic.com/Avian_Education/AAV_2004_Lectures/L13_Pain_and_Analdesia/

X2. A third witness. Good luck with the choice of topical treatments and eliminating feather picking, sharrihargrove. You may need to clip spurs/nails in the future, and Kwik-Stop powder is a safe product to keep on hand. You can see lots of misinformation exists in public forums, in addition to factual information. It is always best to do the research.

 

[sherrihargrove]

thanks everyone this is a small area the size of a nickle not bleeding just really irritated and missing feathers. I will continue to clean it and keep her inside for a few days to let it heal up. using only h2o2