Eye issue and weak CX chick, was being bullied by much larger CX same age

[GonzoChicken]

Ok, so the other day I went out to check on the birds and found one small chick about 2 wks old bloody and hiding in the corner. I separated the chick and put it with one that has a splayed leg. I sat and watched the birds for a bit and noticed that the largest of the CX's was pecking and being a bully, so I stuck that one with the Month old CX's and he got some of his own medicine. I'm assuming that the large bird did the injuring as it appeared he was being a dick to all the other chicks. Alright so the chick that was bloody, cheeps a lot, and both eyes looked good yesterday and when I put him in the "chicken Hospital" a few days ago. Today I go out to check on them at lunch and one eye is closed and it appears the side of his face is swollen now. There is no pasty butt, it'll eat and drink but not much. It had pretty good damage done to it's wing by the bigger chick, there are scabs on the apex of the fore wing and no other signs of scabbing or leisions that I can find. It doesn't want to move much either. I really can't blame it though. I opened the eye and it looks all milked over ie blind. Out of the 20 CX that i picked up I've lost 4, 3 possibly to heat and one had to be culled because one of it's eyes was all foamy and had a swollen face as well. This is my 2nd set of Broiler chicks and I'm having a hard time with them. I'm really not used to things dieing on me ever, even plants. So do I cull this one too? Or keep trying to help it? Also the one with the splayed leg is very needy, ie it's always nestling up to another one even if it's really warm, and it's eating and drinking but not growing much. It bothers me a little to have to cull chicks, not really a fan of killing little ones. Any way thanks for any insight any of you may have. I'm new here and new to chickens.

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

Sounds like you have a blinker chick now (blind in one eye). I had a blinker sizzle, and he got on all right, but he was never high on the pecking order (of course being mostly silkie may have had something to do with that). If there are pecking injuries to the skin, and the chicks are young enough, and there is no internal organ damage, you'd be amazed how they can recover. Young chicks can even regrow skin and muscle (which older birds cannot do). Separating the picked-upon will help them recover - it sounds like you're doing the right thing there. I usually give their wounds (especially an open, bleeding pick wound) a dusting of sulfur or wonderdust to help them heal. For the eye, I'd probably use nothing at all, or else wash in a weak boric acid solution or sterile saline to clean it if needed. There's probably not a whole lot else you can do. I'd also run some poultry electrolytes (you can do a 50-50 with gatorade in an emergency) through your injured chicks, to help them through the stress. The swelling should recede in a day or two. You may want to hobble that splayed leg chick. There's a great website all about poultry leg issues and their various cures on poultrypedia: https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/ just look under "poultry podiatry." Be prepared to have your first or second set of hobbles not fit right & to have to do them again. I know what you mean about not wanting the cull the little ones, and I figure trying to help beats doing nothing 99% of the time.

 

[GonzoChicken]

Thanks "UP" I'll look into the leg hobbles for the splayed leg one. I've looked for Boric acid to use for an ear wash for my dog, but can't find it any place. It's almost like every pharmacy in Denver decided not to carry it any more. The one thing I do want to share though is the bully bird that's about 2 weeks old that I put in with the much larger CX's got it's *** kicked for the last two days, that little bugger wanted out of that pen so bad! Serves him right though, he lost a few tail feathers. He's been accepted now into the older group so that's where he'll stay.

thanks!

 

[GonzoChicken]

ok, so the chick with the eye issue, is still really wobbly, doesn't want to move around much, but does seem to move a little but I never see it doing it. I gave it the Electrolytes yesterday in it's water. I had to hold it up so it could drink. Once it figured out I was helping it it went crazy drinking water, filled it's crop right up. Just got done doing that again for it, but the eye, had a white film on it that was looking wet, like a really wet scab, Well as I was holding it, the bad eye brushed the side of the waterer and that white stuff came off. The eye that was revealed was very red and dark and milky looking, and some what evil looking. It eats, but not much.

The Splayed leg one wouldn't leave this chick alone, so I moved it back in to Gen Pop with the others it's age, seems to being doing okay. It was just that it seemed to be stressing out the one with the eye issue by crawling under it's wings or laying on it. I thought it just may be cold, but I've got a heat lamp in there and it's hot here right now so I can't imagine why it keeps crowding that bird when there is plenty of space available. As I've been reading in the threads, stress can be an issue, so I'm trying to reduce that on the little bugger.

Any insight would be appreciated

 

[GonzoChicken]

Just found the splayed leg one dead... I understand that there is loss, and that this happens, but that's not fun.

 

[Minchi]

Are you giving the injured one mash? This is basically feed and water to make it soft I started 50/50 but they get addicted so I could not cut them off completely I had to reduce till it was dry feed again. I have a little one who was probably hatched by the hatchery early and she had some problems but she got a lot better once I started giving her mash it was easier for her to digest and I think gave her a little more confidence. I used the electrolyte water in the feed to make sure she got as much nutrients as she could. This might help also I put neosporin on my chicks wounds..one lost a toe. The fourm I saw on this says not to use the one with pain relief. I hope the little one gets better sorry about your losses.