Came home to find feathers all over pen and this.....

[sharonp53]

My two Barnie girls have been living with our young Barnie roo, and while he is prone to chase them, no damage. Today I got home to find the smaller of the two with her head shredded open and gouges above her tail and feathers everywhere.

She is active and alert, but I really need to know what to do with her head ut, which is large and deep. I live nearly two hours from the nearest vet, so no chance of taking her there. I have to cope with this here.

I have colloidal silver, iodine, pain meds and antibiotics on hand. I have seperated her from the roo, brought her inside, and removed the other girl. He will be dispatched tomorrow.

I think I need to stitch the wound. I have new needles I can sterlise, but only polyester thread, no small fishing line or similar. I have stiched before, but am unsure of the thread. I would soak it in CS prior to use, but am just unsure.

Please can you advise me....photos attached

 

[BlueBaby]

It look's like you are doing the best that you can for her. I would separate your young roo until his hormones calm down.

 

[sharonp53]

Thank you. His hormones will calm down tomorrow, when his head comes off!!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

That looks like canalibalmism damage caused by small quarters. Often a change of diet can help, as well as the use of red colored lights. Spritz a shot or two of Purple Medicine, Blue Kote, or Jensen Violet on the hen's wounds but keep your eye on her.

 

[BlueBaby]

If you have access to something called Blu Kote, that is good for wound's. Use little, and if you get any on your finger's it will stain them too.

 

[KittyCat13]

I had a 5 week old chick with very similar injuries, really nasty head wound inflicted by another, bigger chick.

I was really worried it wouldn't make it, but I gave it a wash with hibiscrub and used silver spray and it healed wonderfully, no infections or anything. I personally wouldn't want to stitch it up myself, I would worry about any debris that may be left in the wound and the chance of infection, I prefer to leave things open and keep them super clean.

 

[sharonp53]

I had a 5 week old chick with very similar injuries, really nasty head wound inflicted by another, bigger chick.

I was really worried it wouldn't make it, but I gave it a wash with hibiscrub and used silver spray and it healed wonderfully, no infections or anything. I personally wouldn't want to stitch it up myself, I would worry about any debris that may be left in the wound and the chance of infection, I prefer to leave things open and keep them super clean.

Great advice, thank you. I only have CS for now. I will get Blue Kote as others suggested, next time I am in town. I am giving her pain meds tonight so she has a pain-free night bless her.

 

[sharonp53]

That looks like canalibalmism damage caused by small quarters. Often a change of diet can help, as well as the use of red colored lights. Spritz a shot or two of Purple Medicine, Blue Kote, or Jensen Violet on the hen's wounds but keep your eye on her.

Thank you. I think they should have plenty of room, but they were new quarters to them all. She was the smaller of the two girls. I will change his diet as I have several feed options, I also have a red heat lamp that I can try.

Do you think he will settle down as he gets older?

 

[rebrascora]

With cockerels, they are fine until their hormones kick in and then they suddenly want to mate everything in sight and repeatedly. Only 2 hens or worse young pullets in a pen with one is almost always going to end in injury. You can keep an older mature rooster as a trio with 2 hens like this but not young bucks. Pen him separately until next year or if you can't be bothered to wait that long, despatch him. He is only doing what his hormones drive him to do. In some respects you created this problem by penning him with these 2 girls. In a more natural environment, there would be a mature rooster in charge of these hens/pullets and a young trier like this would be run off until he was mature enough to challenge for flock leader by which time hormones have usually calmed down. Raising cockerels and pullets together once they hit adolescence is not a happy situation if you don't have an older generation to keep order and even then, too many cockerels causes stress at the least.

I would be surprised if you are able to close that wound up by stitching as I would doubt there is enough spare skin on that part or the body unless there is a flap hanging where he has scalped her and even then the skin may die back. I would just clean the wound thoroughly with whatever antiseptic solution is available....Betadine, Chlorohexidine, diluted Iodine or maybe even just some dilute saline might be best since you are working near her eyes and the other stuff might irritate them. Pack the wound with a wound ointment like triple antibiotic ointment and keep it moist and clean and it should heal naturally. Many people find raw honey works well to help the healing process instead of ointment but beware of wasps or bees being attracted. To be honest she is probably best kept indoors to prevent possible fly strike as well as just keeping it clean. Many people have had to deal with such scalpings and they seem to heal well without closing them up if you can keep them clean.

 

[sharonp53]

Thank you. While I have been keeping chickens for years, but just moved to a farm and am new to cockerals. I could kick myself for making such a rookie mistake!

I have only Colloidal Silver here, but it is not an irritant, I have even used it on my own eye, I do have raw honey, so can use that too.

Thank you so much for your help. I will dispatch him tomorrow and will wait until my girls are bigger and older before looking for another, older roo.

Thank you again,
Sharon