Damaged feathers stuck together

[Bertie C]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post on this wonderful web page. I need a bit of help....
My hen Ingrid recovered from rat bait poisoning and then was the subject of bullying. There was only a little peck and I cleaned it up and applied purple spray. All seemed well, the girls were getting along until I awoke to a bloody mess in the chicken coop! It seems that Ingrid picked her own feathers and made them bleed. The wound is under the base of the wing. On vet's advice, I waited for a couple of days before I bathed the area. It's been about a week, and Ingrid is a bit sick of her 'bucket collar'! I had a look at the feathers tonight, and found that lots of them are stripped of their 'fluffy bits' and some are stuck together. They look very damaged/matted, and look beyond repair.

Should I cut them off above the damaged area? They don't appear to be blood feathers.


Is there another easier way to detangle matted feathers?


Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post on this wonderful web page. I need a bit of help....
My hen Ingrid recovered from rat bait poisoning and then was the subject of bullying. There was only a little peck and I cleaned it up and applied purple spray. All seemed well, the girls were getting along until I awoke to a bloody mess in the chicken coop! It seems that Ingrid picked her own feathers and made them bleed. The wound is under the base of the wing. On vet's advice, I waited for a couple of days before I bathed the area. It's been about a week, and Ingrid is a bit sick of her 'bucket collar'! I had a look at the feathers tonight, and found that lots of them are stripped of their 'fluffy bits' and some are stuck together. They look very damaged/matted, and look beyond repair.

Should I cut them off above the damaged area? They don't appear to be blood feathers.


Is there another easier way to detangle matted feathers?


Any help is greatly appreciated!

You could soak her in some warm water and see if that helps or just cut them off and let her start them over. as long as they are not blood feathers it shouldn't matter.

 

[Bertie C]

Thanks Miss Lydia!

She has already had two baths now, so I may have to get the sharp scissors out. My next problem is going to be reintroducing her to the other hen - Betty. Are there any ways to prevent a turf war??


p.s. I love getting chicken help from the other side of the world. Greetings from Australia