chick w/ blood on neck

[jamiebartlett]

i went out to ck on the chicks since its getting really warm today which is unusual for the weather around here. I noticed one of the chicks neck was red and another chick pecking at it, so I picked it up and brought it in. I can't see any visible wounds but the top of featers are bloody. I'm trying my best to clean it up with a warm rag. She's alert and peeping. If I hadnt noticed the red neck I wouldnt have thought she was injured. She as running around like other chicks. .. Any suggestions? What do i do?? Thanks, Jamie

 

[justusnak]

How old is she? Are the crowded? Red light or white light? How many in what size pen?

If possible, I would keep her seperate for a few days, let her heal. Put som Neosporin on the red spot...but before you put her back you might want to spray the spot with blue kote. It will keep them from pecking.

 

[jamiebartlett]

They used to be in a 2 by 3 box in my house. There are 10 of them. Yesterday we moved them out to the chicken coop in their own safe section away from the hens and that space is 3 by 4 feet. So they actually got more space. They use red light. The only thing that changed was the space. This one is 4 weeks old, the other are three weeks old.

What is Blue Kote and whre can I find it?? Thanks!
Jamie

 

[jamiebartlett]

Update: I put her back in the box she was in up until yesterday by herself with fresh food, water, bedding. Will she do ok alone? I can't put her close by the chicks because our coophouse is 4 by 8 feet. and the chicks are taking up 1/3 of that space already. I'm not sure my hens want to give up even more space!

 

[2mnypets]

Blue Kote is made by Dr. Naylor and is a veterinary anitiseptic and protective wound dressing. It has germicidal and fungicidal properites. Please make sure you wear latex gloves or something close to it. The spray is blue/purple and will stain your hands. I found out the hard way. Even if you have to use zip lock bags over your hands. It's a 5 oz. aresol spray with a dark blue lid and yellow bottle. It runs around $5 or so and I found mine at Farm King in the horse isle next to the hoof products. Yes, she will be fine for a few days by herself. The pecking order will not change that drastically in the short amount of time you will have her separated. Hoping for the best for you.

 

[jamiebartlett]

Thanks..
So I go out tonight to do the final night check on all the birds, and I find another chick, being pecked on her spine. Blood showing. I brought her in and put a cardboard between her and the other chick thats now sharing the same box and gave it warmth, light etc that it needs to get through the night and not get picked on.

What's going on? IM getting frustrated.. I don't have any more room for yet another chick with an owie that everyone is picking on. This all started today. Frankly, do I leave them out there and make it the survival of the fittest? Or just keep an eye on it and keep spraying the blue kobe stuff?

Any input?THank you - all of you who have helped thusfar..

Jamie

 

[Critter Crazy]

First off, you do not have enough rrom. In a 4x8 coop, that is only enough room for 8 birds, yet you have 10 chicks, plus how many adults?? Definitely tight spaces. Unfortunately if they are pecking all ready, it will only get worse as they get bigger. You might want to think about expanding. Not sure what else you can do?

 

[jamiebartlett]

The entire thing also has a run attached to it. That is 10 by 8. They usually play outside most of the day and only come inside at night to roost or to get in the nesting boxes to lay eggs (the adults). The babies i'm talking of are only 4 weeks old and we just brought them out of the brooder box they were in and put them in the coop with the same "conditions", same waterer, feeder and light. They actually haave more space now. They were not pecking eachother before that. It's hard to say what started it all! Yesterday we:

1) Had to put a chick down ebcause it had a deformed beak and was not doing well.

2) Moved them to the coop

3) Started a new bag of food.

Thanks, Jamie