Chick got pecked

[Kayla's Lunch]

Hi everyone. My worst nightmare has happened! We had a broody hen (one out of 11 1 year old hens) and gave her 4 chicks. That was May 31. She took to them right away and was a good mother. They were in a crate in the run and we let them have access on a limited basis after a week. I think after 2 weeks, everyone was together in the run all day and free ranging every day for 2-5 hours. Mom and babies were sleeping in the crate and then started sleeping on top of the crate on top of a bag of pine shavings. A little over a week ago, they stopped sleeping under her and slept near her. It's been pretty hot here in Maryland. A few days after that, Mom stopped "taking care of them." She didn't stopped staying with them when they free ranged and didn't sleep with them. The chicks have gone into the coop and gone on the roosts, but don't stay there. I haven't seen any aggression from any of the chickens to the chicks. The mom was pretty annoyed at certain chickens coming near the chicks at first, but things seemed to settle pretty quickly and easily. Until today. We came home in the afternoon to find one of the chicks pecked quite a bit. We have moved her, Lexi a black cochin, inside. She is in a crate. She is subdued but cheeps a little. I sprayed the wound with Vetricyn and put antibiotic ointment on it. We put scrambled egg and mealworms in the crate and have been giving her drinks of water. I haven't figured out how to put water in there yet. She either doesn't want to put her head down or just likes when you put the water at her mouth. She may have been 5-7 days old when we got her, so maybe she's 5-6 weeks old now. I included a picture of her the day we got her and pictures of her wound. I'm guessing I need to keep her inside at least for awhile. But would like suggestions on how to best take care of her. Thanks!

 

[Chick_ lover42]

I’ve read that your not supposed to put chicks with older hens until they are around same size as hens. Chickens can’t really tell age but they can tell size, when your chickens are close to being bigger and whatnot is when people usually add there new chickens with ones already in your coop. I’m not sure if this helps but hopefully you can get somebody who is maybe more experienced. I will try to look up more. You could also try looking at other posts to see other people’s answers.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

A few days after that, Mom stopped "taking care of them."

She is subdued but cheeps a little. I sprayed the wound with Vetricyn and put antibiotic ointment on it. We put scrambled egg and mealworms in the crate and have been giving her drinks of water. I haven't figured out how to put water in there yet. She either doesn't want to put her head down or just likes when you put the water at her mouth.

My understanding is once Mom weans them, they are on their own.
Can she walk?
The Vetericyn is fine to use.
How big is the crate? If it's small, then you may need to find something bigger.
A lot depends on your set-up. You will want to make sure she's eating/drinking on her own, keep the wound clean and apply your Vetericyn.
Ideally she needs to be housed where the others can see her, but she also needs to be monitor and flies kept off her wound.
Re-introducing an injured chicken back to the flock can be a challenge.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

My understanding is once Mom weans them, they are on their own.
Can she walk?
The Vetericyn is fine to use.
How big is the crate? If it's small, then you may need to find something bigger.
A lot depends on your set-up. You will want to make sure she's eating/drinking on her own, keep the wound clean and apply your Vetericyn.
Ideally she needs to be housed where the others can see her, but she also needs to be monitor and flies kept off her wound.
Re-introducing an injured chicken back to the flock can be a challenge.

Thanks for your reply. I think she can walk and she has pooped in her crate. This crate is quite small - for a cat, but we have 2 crates out in the run that are much bigger. One sized for a medium/large dog (this one is off the ground for broody we had to break) and one for a large/XL dog (this is the one the chicks were in with broody mama). As soon as I know that she is eating and drinking on her own, I will feel okay putting her in one of the crates in the run. My daughter has been offering her water every 30-40 minutes until it was time for the chickens to go to bed. She is in my daughter's room. How do I know if I need to cover the wound? It seems like it should be fine uncovered, but how do I really determine that? It's not actively bleeding.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

I’ve read that your not supposed to put chicks with older hens until they are around same size as hens. Chickens can’t really tell age but they can tell size, when your chickens are close to being bigger and whatnot is when people usually add there new chickens with ones already in your coop. I’m not sure if this helps but hopefully you can get somebody who is maybe more experienced. I will try to look up more. You could also try looking at other posts to see other people’s answers.

Thanks for the reply. I had them out with the flock as was suggested by this group. The chicks were with the mom who was protecting them. Mama would chase anyone who got near, especially a few other chickens that she just didn't want anywhere near. After a few days of her chasing the other chickens, she settled down and all chickens seemed to get along and hang out together. I was shocked when things went so badly today.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How do I know if I need to cover the wound? It seems like it should be fine uncovered, but how do I really determine that? It's not actively bleeding.

I would not cover the wound with a dressing.

 

[moniquem]

Chickens can be brutal but I've seen worse cases of chick pecking on this site with great outcomes. She may need TLC but I think you can expect a full recovery. Keep your eyes on the other chicks.....

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

The little chick is drinking water and eating a tiny bit of scrambled egg. She is moving around, but slowly, and wants to come out of the little crate that she is in. Apparently, it is the mama who is causing problems. Any suggestions on what to do with her? I can put her in the "breaking broody hen" crate that is in the run.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The little chick is drinking water and eating a tiny bit of scrambled egg. She is moving around, but slowly, and wants to come out of the little crate that she is in. Apparently, it is the mama who is causing problems. Any suggestions on what to do with her? I can put her in the "breaking broody hen" crate that is in the run.

Is the Mama pecking at the others too?
Do you have plenty of space where the chicks can get away from the adults?

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

The run is 12 x 12 and the coop is raised up in that space and is 4 x 12. The go out in the yard pretty much everyday for 2-6 hours. They usually go out even in the rain. Any suggestions on what to put in the run to offer hiding spaces? There is deep litter in the run and deep bedding in the coop. I have been throwing extra scratch out there to keep them busy. There are a few roosts in the run and several in the coop. The ramp coming out of the coop is somewhat in the middle of the run, so the run is broken up by that. And, I am sorry to say, that our little Lexi died tonight. She was pecked more severely than we realized and grew weaker and weaker. She had been walking around earlier today. She would drink but would hardly eat anything. It's been quite traumatic for us.