One my 6 week old chicks ears are bleeding. I cleaned them and it appears to the surficial bleeding, not internal. I added blue kote and hoped that it was just pecking. Last night the ear canals were not swollen, bleeding or had any sort of discharge. This evening, one ear seems ok still; however, the other is bleeding again. The tissue around the ear appears slightly swollen (probably from pecking or scratching), but, again, the ear canal itself is not bleeding. I am not sure if her ears appear tasty and they are getting pecked for some reason or if she is getting an ear infection and she is scratching them until they bleed.
She has no other symptoms. She is a clean-faced chick, so it is not due to tuffs or muffs enticing the other chicks. Additionally, she is in a brooder coop with her 10 siblings and their two moms (who co-parent well together - no fighting) and share a large run (24' x 36'-ish) with 28 other adults who have never been chick aggressive. Equally divided, that is 21 sf per chicken plus, when we are home they free-range the yard, so space (cannibalism) is not the issue.
What are your thoughts? Isolated pecking to only her ears? Or ear infections?
What are your thoughts? Isolated pecking to only her ears? Or ear infections?
