Bump on chick's beak, bleeding **PICTURES**

[MattalynsBarn]

Almost-2-month-old Leghorn pullet Pearl has had a bump on her beak for a while and now it's starting to bleed a little.
It's shiny because I put Triple Antibiotic ointment on it. She's living in a rabbit's cage with one other pullet and 4 cockerels.
She is the only one we're keeping, the rest are being re-homed next week. She's extremely perky, and doesn't seem to be in pain, even when I touch it.
I can't really tell who is at the bottom of the pecking order, so I don't know if that is the cause.

Should I be worried? Should I separate her for the next week?

Here are some pictures:

Edit: Forgot a picture

 

[Snowygirl]

hmm....i personally would take her away from her friends because chickens will pick on her and make the lump worse........i know this stinks 4 u and her. hope all ends well!

 

[MattalynsBarn]

I'll probably do that, seeing as they're leaving in about a week so it won't be for too long

 

[yinepu]

looks like a wire injury to me.. where she rubbed her face against the wire of the cage
nothing major to worry about.. I have seen a few do that before.. if she continues to do it once the others are gone you may want to find her some other sort of cage/coop/pen to live in

 

[7&8]

Looks like it may be a little abscess. She could've scratched herself and got it started, or something along those lines. I would definitely keep her separated so that the others don't peck at it. I had a hen with a facial abscess last winter:

I cleaned it off and looked for a necrotic area, the most likely spot to lance. It's best to lance on the low side because the goal is to open it up and keep it draining; gravity is your friend here. I just used a large gauge needle. Make sure whatever you use to lance is clean, even though you're going into an inhospitable environment. Yours looks like it has a place that's begun to weep a nice serous fluid and it's on the low side of it, so that's both convenient and good.

When the abscess is open, use q-tips moistened with saline to clean it out as much as you can - ream out the goop - several times a day, finishing with a q-tip to dry, then covering it with triple antibiotic ointment. It's hard to guess at which particular antibiotic would best address the bacteria involved. Tetramycin is a pretty kick butt antibiotic. If you have that, try it. A little dab will do you with Tetramycin. Try and keep the drain area open, i.e., for a day or so, gently scrub off any scab that forms. After a couple of days, the abscess should begin to diminish in size; it could begin to heal sooner. Watch the skin color surrounding the area. If it starts to darken, it's more involved than what I'm advising on, and may need a different approach/ different antibiotics.

I wouldn't treat the pullet systemically, unless you see other symptoms such as diarrhea, loss of appetite, etc.

Let us know how it goes,

and more pictures are always helpful! Good luck! Pearl is a lucky peach!

 

[MattalynsBarn]

7&8 :

Looks like it may be a little abscess. She could've scratched herself and got it started, or something along those lines. I would definitely keep her separated so that the others don't peck at it. I had a hen with a facial abscess last winter:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/52531_dscn2393.jpg

I cleaned it off and looked for a necrotic area, the most likely spot to lance. It's best to lance on the low side because the goal is to open it up and keep it draining; gravity is your friend here. I just used a large gauge needle. Make sure whatever you use to lance is clean, even though you're going into an inhospitable environment. Yours looks like it has a place that's begun to weep a nice serous fluid and it's on the low side of it, so that's both convenient and good.

When the abscess is open, use q-tips moistened with saline to clean it out as much as you can - ream out the goop - several times a day, finishing with a q-tip to dry, then covering it with triple antibiotic ointment. It's hard to guess at which particular antibiotic would best address the bacteria involved. Tetramycin is a pretty kick butt antibiotic. If you have that, try it. A little dab will do you with Tetramycin. Try and keep the drain area open, i.e., for a day or so, gently scrub off any scab that forms. After a couple of days, the abscess should begin to diminish in size; it could begin to heal sooner. Watch the skin color surrounding the area. If it starts to darken, it's more involved than what I'm advising on, and may need a different approach/ different antibiotics.

I wouldn't treat the pullet systemically, unless you see other symptoms such as diarrhea, loss of appetite, etc.

Let us know how it goes,

and more pictures are always helpful! Good luck! Pearl is a lucky peach!

Thanks 7&8!! She's in the dog cage we use as a brooder and for injured birds. Her abscess is hard, and nothing is draining out of the abraded area. I'm going to keep putting antibiotics on it and see if having more space away from the boys helps. It's pretty hot here and now she's even more stressed by being separated as well as on ground level with the Big Birds, so I'd like to wait for her to be a little more comfortable before I go poking holes in her. I have Type 1 Diabetes, so we have plenty of sterile needles as such. Thanks again for everyone's advice! I will keep you guys posted, hopefully her body can take care of this, but if not I will do what I can.​

 

[McKenley5]

Awww...I it hard when they are hurt b/c they can't tell you what happened or where it hurts. Good luck! I personally would go ahead and separate her from the others, especially since you said they are leaving soon anyway.

 

[jojosthings]

Hi there just wondering what the outcome was with your bird?? I have a couple of leghorn pulletts with the same thing?