Chick with bleeding foot.

[eggsrcool]

Hello. I noticed today that a one week old chick has a bleeding foot. I suspect something to do with a scale being damaged/ coming off? It had been on tissues for the last week, today I have changed it to wood shavings. On the tissue which I changed today, there were some spots of blood. How should I go about treating this? THanks!

 

[Wynette]

First I'd take that one chick out and clean it up...they are attracted to the color red and the others will peck it if it's bleeding. Get it cleaned up, inspect really well to make sure it doesn't have something tuck in the leg or anything...and then spray lightly with some Blu Kote. This is an antiseptic spray that you can find at most farm stores. If it's a minor cut and the bleeding stops, you can return this little one to his buddies, but ONLY if the bleeding has stopped; then, watch closely for awhile to make extra sure they are not pecking at it. If they are, then you'll need to remove it until it heals.

Best of luck!

 

[eggsrcool]

The chick lives alone

 

[eggsrcool]

I dont have any Blu Kote. Is there something else that I could use? I don't have any chicken antiseptics... only human antiseptics really.

 

[Wynette]

Do you have triple antibiotic ointment? That will work just fine - it needs to be the type without pain reliever in it, though.

 

[eggsrcool]

I don't think so. I only have creams such as E45 and Savalon

 

[Wynette]

Gosh, I'm not sure what you could use. I'm not a pharmacist and don't have a good working knowledge of which human medications work. I know for certain you should NEVER use anything that has "caine" in the ingredients (such as "benzocaine").

How bad is it? Did you examine the chick to find the actual wound? Do you know what could have caused it? If it's just superficial, since it lives alone, you might be able to just clean it up well & let it go. Don't use hydrogen peroxide, that dries up healthy tissue. Do you have any Betadine solution?

 

[eggsrcool]

It appears to be a feather, the chick is a silkie so has feathers down its legs.

 

[Judy]

What are the ingredients in the creams you have? Either is probably fine if there is no "caine" ingredient, like benzocaine, lidocaine, etc.

Truth is it will probably heal fine on its own, anyway, though a little salve would be good. Just keep an eye on the foot and leg for redness or warmth or swelling which would indicate infection.

 

[eggsrcool]

What about if it contains liquid paraffin? Otherwise it contains no 'caine' ingredients.