HELP! 8 week old chick got all skin and feathers pecked off her head!

[larissakissa]

That's good to know. Thank you!

 

[tiffmw10]

How is your baby doing today??

 

[larissakissa]

Thank you for asking. She's doing ok considering in the condition she's in. She's eating and drinking fine. Her head looks a bit gooey in a few little spots. I think its from the Neosporin. Not sure. The part where her neck is exposed looks like it dried up to the neck, which I think is good because before I could see open "pockets" underneath her skin . I guess the only thing that worries me right now is if she starts to get an infection. I wonder if I can put tea tree oil on her head? Or will that sting too much, or maybe it's poisonous to chickens? IDK.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you so much for the reply! I will put a stuffed animal next to her in the box. She does look lonely. Her eyes are ok. She's sleeping a lot but did drink some water. She just started to show interest in the food. I'll keep putting on the ointment for the next 2 or so days. Is that enough? I'll go buy some BluKote tomorrow.
How long do you think it will take for new skin to grow? will feathers grow too?
I will definitely separate them for at least a week before letting them in the same coop again.
I feel so bad 'cause I feel like it's my fault.

It will take a few weeks. I have treated this in a Polish chicken who gets scalped about once a year, and yours looks a little worse. Mine will grow feathers back in in a month, but when the pin feathers come in, they are very attractive to the others, so watch out. Her scalp will probably form a hard scab over the wound--this will feel like leather, so just keep spraying BluKote on it, and one day it will fall off, and soon new feathers will emerge (hopefully.) You might try a short visit with the gang after you start the BluKote in a few days, just to keep them familiar, but stay with her. I hate the fact that you are going to have to re-introduce her, because it has to be done very gradually or she will be attacked. I hope she heals fast.

 

[larissakissa]

Wow, your poor Polish chicken! Why do they do that every year??? Some chickens are like monsters!
Do you think the spray on BluKote is better than the one you can spread on? I've never used it before. When should I start putting it on instead of Neosporin?

 

[Eggcessive]

You could try it over the neosporin to try a little visit in a day or two. Your chicken's scalp wound is deeper than mine, so use your own judgement. Polish chicks are notorious for getting their head featherspecked out, but thelast time several months ago was due to an overzealous young cockerel who got culled shortly after. Polis girl is also blind in one eye from an earlier attack--poor thing gets lost a lot too. She probably is a little brain damaged.

 

[larissakissa]

Awww, your poor chicken! What a hard life she has.

 

[tiffmw10]

How is she??

 

[UPChicken]

I had an older chicken that had a bad leg and got picked on like that. I isolated her like you did. She had a spot on her head where all the skin and feathers were gone also. She was several years old at the time and it healed completely. Not even a bald spot, but I have to say that the injury wasn't quite as big as the one your bird has.

Good luck.

 

[larissakissa]

she's doing ok. She looks really lonely by herself in the box. I bought some blukote and put that on her head. It looks like it's starting to dry up.