Chick got scalped (GRAPHIC PICS)

[Sam_purch17]

Hello, I bought 8 more chicks to add to my flock of 4. When the chicks grew to pullets, I introduced them to my older chickens. I thought everything was going well, maybe one or two pecks at each other, but nothing bad at all. Yesterday, when I got home from school, I found one of the pullets laying on the ground, completely scalped and bleeding. I sprayed her with some stuff that cleans it and stops the bleeding, but she is still in pretty bad condition. Shes up and walking, drinking from a syringe, but still pretty bad. Is there anything I can do to make her heal faster or feel better? Do you think she'll survive?

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Geezus! Why did you leave them alone while going out for school? You could have introduced them on the weekend where you'll be able to have time to monitor them...... that poor chicken went through hell.

 

[Sam_purch17]

Geezus! Why did you leave them alone while going out for school? You could have introduced them on the weekend where you'll be able to have time to monitor them...... that poor chicken went through hell.

Yeah I introduced them to each other a couple days before and it seemed like they were getting along, and they were for the first couple days when they were in the coup together. I don't know if someone started the fight or whatever, but now I have the older ones and the pullets in the same coup but separated by some mesh wire

 

[Eggcessive]

It’s good that they are separated. Did you separate the scalped chick as well, so it does not get pecked until it heals some? Spray the scalp with BluKote daily when you put it back with the others. Until it heals more, I would use antibiotic ointment, such as plain neosporin (triple antibiotic) ointment. Keeping it in a dog crate with it’s own food and water for a few days may help.

 

[icubones]

Poor baby! Personally I would put her down. Hard to tell from your photos but it looks as though there isn’t enough skin/scalp left to cover the skull and be able to heal properly. I had a similar situation happen when one of my momma hens pinned another hen’s chick down for getting too close. After that, her new name was “Birdzilla”. Sadly, we had to put the chick down as there was very little scalp left and what was there wouldn’t cover the skull. On the other hand, I’ve seen a hen heal from gaping spur wounds on both flanks that I though would never heal or possibly get infected. In her case, she was “sliced” open and had the skin there to form a scab. I cleaned it well, used steri strips to close the wound, and isolated her until it closed.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

I've been through this, a polish though so she wound up permanently "slow" and one of the best I ever had.

Keep this bird warm, give it electrolytes and feed it through a syringe if it won't eat by itself. This wound needs to be kept open to the air but also prevented from cracking, so use a thick ointment on it occasionally (too often and it will get too wet however, use your judgement here) such as corona ointment for horses.

Keep it away from the others until it's healed up. And yes, it can survive this.

 

[Flamens Farm]

So sorry about your pullet, sometimes hen pecking order can get out of hand that's for sure. Plenty of chicken owners have gone through this same situation. I would definitely do like Eggcessive commented. Did her eyes get damaged? Hard to tell in the picks. If you can keep food and water in her and separated with the antibiotic ointment on her wounds she might have a chance. At this point who knows. I certainly hope she recovers from this for you.

 

[Sam_purch17]

So sorry about your pullet, sometimes hen pecking order can get out of hand that's for sure. Plenty of chicken owners have gone through this same situation. I would definitely do like Eggcessive commented. Did her eyes get damaged? Hard to tell in the picks. If you can keep food and water in her and separated with the antibiotic ointment on her wounds she might have a chance. At this point who knows. I certainly hope she recovers from this for you.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm not entirely sure if the eye is either completely damaged or just swollen to hell, but something is wrong with her left eye.

 

[Sam_purch17]

It’s good that they are separated. Did you separate the scalped chick as well, so it does not get pecked until it heals some? Spray the scalp with BluKote daily when you put it back with the others. Until it heals more, I would use antibiotic ointment, such as plain neosporin (triple antibiotic) ointment. Keeping it in a dog crate with it’s own food and water for a few days may help.

Right now I have her in a plastic bin in my kitchen just untill she heals a little bit

 

[Sam_purch17]

Poor baby! Personally I would put her down. Hard to tell from your photos but it looks as though there isn’t enough skin/scalp left to cover the skull and be able to heal properly. I had a similar situation happen when one of my momma hens pinned another hen’s chick down for getting too close. After that, her new name was “Birdzilla”. Sadly, we had to put the chick down as there was very little scalp left and what was there wouldn’t cover the skull. On the other hand, I’ve seen a hen heal from gaping spur wounds on both flanks that I though would never heal or possibly get infected. In her case, she was “sliced” open and had the skin there to form a scab. I cleaned it well, used steri strips to close the wound, and isolated her until it closed.

I'll try my best to nurse her to health but if she can't grow skin back and/or is suffering badly, I might put her down.