Chicken has bloody neck

[allanleg]

Hello BYC,
I purchased some chicks about 5 months ago and raised them up without any problems. Today I found that one of my chickens had a bloody neck. The chicken is fine and acting just like normal but I am afraid that it will get worse. I think that it happened just the other day when they were all taking dirt baths. They were all clean when I checked on them that night except for one with had some mud on its neck. Could it have been that the others were pecking at that mud spot? Anyhow i just need your advice on what to do. Please reply soon,
Allan Legemaate

 

[Pathfinders]

Hi Allan,

Yes, it is likely the other chickens pecked the one with mud on her neck. Now you need to do something to ensure they don't continue pecking her, because red in particular encourages chickens to peck.

Can you go to a feed store and get some BluCoat? It comes in a spray or a liquid, and can be put on the wound to change the color to a non-pecking attracting blueish purple.

If not, you will need to separate the injured bird until she heals, and then gradually reintroduce her to the flock so she won't be attacked again.

How much space do your chickens have? Sometimes giving them more room to run away from each other can reduce incidents of pecking.

Good luck!

Laura

 

[Wyandottes7]

Hello BYC,
I purchased some chicks about 5 months ago and raised them up without any problems. Today I found that one of my chickens had a bloody neck. The chicken is fine and acting just like normal but I am afraid that it will get worse. I think that it happened just the other day when they were all taking dirt baths. They were all clean when I checked on them that night except for one with had some mud on its neck. Could it have been that the others were pecking at that mud spot? Anyhow i just need your advice on what to do. Please reply soon,
Allan Legemaate

I would gently clean the wounded area and try to wash away some of the blood. Then, apply some antibiotic ointment without painkillers or "caine" ingredients. You can also spray the wound with BlueKote, which is an antiseptic spray that coats things blue. Chickens love to peck at anything red, so BlueKote helps prevent pecking. The wound should heal quickly.

 

[allanleg]

Alright, thank you Pathfinders and Wyandottes, I separate the chicken tonight and see if I can find some of that blucoat. That would be very useful. Oh yea by the way a little off topic but do you know how to get the chickens to lay in the chicken house? I let them loose every day to roam around but the white leghorns barely ever lay in the house after they are let out. I also have some Plymouth Rock and Rhode Island Red chickens too but they seem to get the point point of nesting boxes and actually do lay in the chicken house

 

[Pathfinders]

Can you leave them in the coop for the first part of the morning, and let them out after about noon?

Old time breeders preferred to set eggs only from hens who laid in the morning anyway, it was a sign of a good layer and vigor. So that's what I'd do, if you can.

 

[Michael Apple]

I Don't like the Blue-Kote for anything because it dyes feathers and dehydrates skin. From what I've seen, the area stained by Blue Kote continues to attract the pickers because there's no residual repelling taste to it. I've used Pick-No-More lotion, and it works well to stop feather picking. So does Bitter Apple spray for dogs.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have never tried the antipick meds that Michael uses, but I have used BluKote for several years without any picking. My polish hen lost her head feathers when she was young, and the BluKote allowed them to grow back in. It is great for bleeding foot feathers. It needs to be reapplied every 2-3 days, and is very messy. It can stain your clothes and hands, but it does wash off in 2 days. The active ingredients are alcohol and gentian violet a good old fashioned antiseptic/antifungal medicine. Some people like the dab-on better than the spray.

 

[fabfarm]

It isn't uncommon for a chicken to get injured try to see of its deep or shallow she could have just scratched on part of her coop or one of her mates pecked at her.i would suggest cleaning it off and putting some neosporn on her wound.as ping as it doesn't get infected or she begins to not want to eat or drink I would just keep an eye on her.best of luck!!