Four week old chick with severe feather plucking

[Schroeder]

I have 12 chicks, 7 different breeds. I moved them 2 days ago from their brooder box in the basement to their insulated 6 x 6 coop, with a red bulb heat lamp. They all seemed to be adjusting well but tonight I saw (and observed) one of the Golden Campines being plucked on the back. The area is featherless and red with surface blood (under the skin).

I have seperated her and don't know what to put on the raw area. I don't have any poultry meds but I have Neosporine. Is that a good treatment? I thought I would move her back into the coop tomorrow (with her friends) but in her own cage for a few days.

These are my first chickens and I am devastated. I hope the practice doesn't spread. They all seem so sweet!

 

[NotTheMomma]

I worry about putting ointments on chicks that are under a heat lamp. Burns are worsened when ointment is put on people, so I worry that its not the best for chicks.

You could try blue kote to keep others from continuing to pick. I didn't have any more here, so I sprayed a bit of Gold Bond powder on my litttle one and so far noone has touched it again.

 

[Renee]

I'm sorry you had such a quick and rude introduction to chicken politics. Their politics will make you feel better about human politics, if that's any consolation.

Neosporin is fine for chickens as long as it does not have any pain reliever in it. Like NTM said, though, you have to make sure she's not going to be fried by the heat lamp.

Good job separating her. Since they are so young, they may forget the incident soon. If not, it might be wise to separate the pecker out and reintroduce her later, so that she is in a lower spot on the chicken hierarchy.

My neighbors found one of their chickens being eaten by their other hens and have yet to recover from the experience. It is good to read about these things here first, so that you are prepared for the law of the jungle fowl in your own flock.