help! 2 young roos enamored with OLD BO!

[jeannieo]

I don't know what the deal is here. Poor Kate Smith (the popular BO) is about eight years old. Lived with just hens up until about a year ago when my friend gave me her flock of eight hens because she didn't have time for them anymore. and my original eight has blossomed into 27, I don't know how it happened!

But I digress! Poor Kate Smith's comb is all bloody and she is losing weight. She does not look good. My coop is partitioned off 1/3 and 2/3. In the 1/3 I have two hens that I want the others to get acquainted with before I put them in the general population. My eventual plan is to have my 5 banties and Kate Smith in the 1/3 with their own pen. I have two big roosters and two banty roosters who were here first. The roos are all getting along fine so far but I just want my cochins to have their own space. so my question is could I put the two newbies in a wire crate for about five days and put the five banties and Kate Smith in the 1/3 of the coop so poor Kate can have some respite?

 

[jeannieo]

good thing I went out to check on her. her comb was half ripped off! poor Kate Smith! I tried to clean it up but she was having none of that so I did manage to wipe it a bit with peroxide and I packed it with Neosporin. She and the five banties are safely separated in the smaller part of the coop with the two newbies in the crate. They will just have to deal with it. Actually as soon as I put them in, Doris Day, the yellow EE laid down and went to sleep!

 

[gritsar]

Be very careful about leaving the injured Kate in with other chickens. They can't help themselves, they see blood they start pecking.
Best of luck to you and Kate.

 

[jeannieo]

thanks. the 3 cochin hens seem to love Kate and I think they think she's their mother!

My two banty roos, one cochin (Spencer Tracy

) who is mostly blind (born that way I believe) and the sweetest thing you'd ever hope to see and one silkie (Sidney Portier) who is the alpha rooster, seem to love her too. I'm so darn anthropomorphic, I know chickens don't love but by golly, these five banties all stick together

! and they really want nothing to do with the others EXCEPT Kate Smith! I love to sit in the coop and watch them and tonight when I went out to try and minister to Kate, I sat there in the dark and just listened to the chicken noises, the soft clucking and cooing and it's like a meditation for me. I can sit and look at and listen to chickens for hours, I swear!

anyway, thanks for your concern but for some reason I feel that Kate is safe with the banties.

 

[AHappychick]

she probably is. Poor girl she will be queen amoung them probably and be much loved I hope

Good Liuck

 

[jeannieo]

I went out this a.m. and the comb looks much worse, maybe because the neosporin softened it? and it is just flopping. Should I leave it be? go to the bird vet I hate now because all they see is dollar signs? I can guarentee they will charge at least $300 for whatever they do. it seems that is their magic number. Should it be taken completely off? that sounds harsh.

" I tried to clean it up but she was having none of that so I did manage to wipe it a bit with peroxide and I packed it with Neosporin. She and the five banties are safely separated in the smaller part of the coop . "

thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

 

[Judy]

I'd be very surprised if the Neosporin did any harm. Perhaps the banties pecked Kate's comb after all. I would separate her and up her nutrition and give some vitamins. You may not have to do this for more than a day or two. If you really feel strongly about not separating her, then some pine tar or BluKote to discourage pecking might help, too.

She is fairly old for a chicken; perhaps she has another internal underlying problem that is interfering with healing.

Hope it works out well for your girls.

 

[jeannieo]

I don't think the banties pecked the comb. there's no fresh blood and they are all acting nonchalant about her being in with them. should I bring her in the house or just put her in a crate in the coop? THANK YOU! I'm off to buy yogurt and I'll scramble her an egg.

 

[Uzuri]

Things tend to look worse right when they begin to heal -- that's true of hens and people. It may still be OK.

But if part of it is hanging off, it may very well be dead. And if it's dead, it'll need to come off one way or another.

 

[AHappychick]

soory just woke up lol

the weather is cooled off but make sure there are no flies around it or laying eggs on her
keep smothering it is neosporin (the kind without pain killer) or bacitactin then if you can get some blue-kote and spray that on it in a day or so, so it can dry out. whatever turns black will have to be removed but it may be too earlt to tell yet.

They have amazing healing abilities but you can help with a probiotic mash of starter feed, yogurt, buttermilk, shreeded apples all mixed together sprinkle with scratch or cracked corn in front of her if she does not want to eat it.

As long as the wound is clean and she is eating it will heal although she may loose part of the comb.

Take pics when you can.