Chick with skin flap wound behind eye

[mfabel]

Just hatched six chicks in a styrofoam incubator on Sunday and Monday. One of the chicks had some sort of injury when I first saw it shortly after hatching. At first I thought it poked its eye on an edge of the hardware cloth in the incubator since it was red, swollen, and raw looking right behind the eye. But after looking closer, the wound is behind the eye and the eye is fine. It looks to me like a flap of skin that was cut from just behind the eye and back, but it is hard to tell exactly what it is. We have been putting neosporin on the wound and after a few days it looks better, but still sticks out.

We have the chick and one other in a separate brooder box because when we tried putting in in with all the chicks, a couple of them kept pecking at the flap of skin (what we call his handle). One of them got hold of it and would not let go. So he is separated with the younger chick who seems to have no interest in pecking at him. He seems to be doing fine, though he is a bit smaller than most of the chicks.

Any ideas on what I should do? Just keep putting the neosporin on and let him heal before reintroducing him to the rest of the chicks? Do you think the flap will fall off? Or should I try to cut it off so the other chicks don't have a "handle" to grab? If it will fall off eventually, then I would just let it go. But if it stays like it is, he will forever have issues with other chickens grabbing at it, so it might be best to cut it off now.

Here are a couple of photos.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

boy, thats a new one on me. are you 100% its a wound and not something just really stuck to it? you are doing the right thing, skin will dry up and fall off. may take a while. is it active and healthy? because i am thinking birth defect.

 

[mfabel]

No, I am not 100% certain it is a wound. Nor am I 100% certain it is skin. But when I saw it shortly after it hatched, it looked like a wound. And there is a raw area under it, between the base and the eye. If it doesn't dry up and fall off, the other chicks will keep going after it. Otherwise it seems fine. It eats fine and is as active as any of them.

 

[mfabel]

Oh, and it doesn't look like something stuck to it. The other chicks have pulled pretty hard on it.

 

[mfabel]

I am tempted to use either sharp scissors or a nail clipper to cut it off. Do you think that would help?

 

[mfabel]

Here are some more photos. Any thoughts?

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i think it will bleed . let m try to find some help .

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you try BluKote spray or daub-on--put some on your fingers then on the flap to disguise it? If you cut it off, be sure and put pressure on it when it starts to bleed, and apply some flour or Blood Stop powder. It may still need BluKote, but don't spray near eyes.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

x2 thank you eggsessive

 

[Eggcessive]

Your're welcome Granny.