Help! Baby chick with mama hen and a sore head is is it safe what should i do?

[5fathens]

Hi,
Our broody hen unexpectedly hatched her egg yesterday afternoon, when chicky first appeared from under mama she went for it but once it went back under we could hear it cheeping and hoped all was ok. Mama hen moved off the remaining egg into a different part of the coop with chicky and stayed with it there overnight. Due to the position and the darkness of the coop ( i needed to close the door to stop the other hens going in) i have another coop prepared for them to go into so took the roof off where she was and just found chicky from under her ready to move them both, but poor chicky has a bald sore head now . mama hen does seem to be keeping her under her tummy quite happily but i'm worried that she has attacked it and might do again.should i still move them both an hope that it was a blip as she is now snuggling it under her nicely or what should i do. Any advice gratefuly recieved. thanks.

 

[birdlover2]

Hi,
Our broody hen unexpectedly hatched her egg yesterday afternoon, when chicky first appeared from under mama she went for it but once it went back under we could hear it cheeping and hoped all was ok. Mama hen moved off the remaining egg into a different part of the coop with chicky and stayed with it there overnight. Due to the position and the darkness of the coop ( i needed to close the door to stop the other hens going in) i have another coop prepared for them to go into so took the roof off where she was and just found chicky from under her ready to move them both, but poor chicky has a bald sore head now . mama hen does seem to be keeping her under her tummy quite happily but i'm worried that she has attacked it and might do again.should i still move them both an hope that it was a blip as she is now snuggling it under her nicely or what should i do. Any advice gratefuly recieved. thanks.

Hm...this is a tough one. I would say that another hen was picking on the chick but they're seperated from the rest of the flock. Does the hen seem stressed? Is this the only surviving chick of the brood? Is the remaining egg not hatching? Can you post pics of the bald spot?

 

[5fathens]

Hm...this is a tough one. I would say that another hen was picking on the chick but they're seperated from the rest of the flock. Does the hen seem stressed? Is this the only surviving chick of the brood? Is the remaining egg not hatching? Can you post pics of the bald spot?

Hi, thanks for replying, it's really sore looking and quite big, but mama immediately tucked it back under her as soon as i put the chick into the fresh coop and popped her in after, there was no messing about just plonked herself on the chick and readjusted herself around it. Neither mama nor chicky seem stressed, mama is quite happy to be handled and stroked and fell asleep whilst we had her and chicky in the interim box. chicky is happy getting right up under mamas feathers too. it's all a bit strange. she was onlt sitting on two eggs and abandoed the other to sit on the chick elsewhere last night-i have popped that one in the incubator!
i can't seem to get the photo to attach but it's basically the back of it's head is now minus feathers and pinky brown in colour, doesn't seem to bother the chick it's still wriggling about and stuff, looks horrid, had it been on a hen in the coop i'd have put savlon on it but i thought that would probably mean the mama hen would be more likely to go for it...
can a hen change her mind about a chick for the better? she seems so caring about it now.

 

[birdlover2]

Hi, thanks for replying, it's really sore looking and quite big, but mama immediately tucked it back under her as soon as i put the chick into the fresh coop and popped her in after, there was no messing about just plonked herself on the chick and readjusted herself around it. Neither mama nor chicky seem stressed, mama is quite happy to be handled and stroked and fell asleep whilst we had her and chicky in the interim box. chicky is happy getting right up under mamas feathers too. it's all a bit strange. she was onlt sitting on two eggs and abandoed the other to sit on the chick elsewhere last night-i have popped that one in the incubator!
i can't seem to get the photo to attach but it's basically the back of it's head is now minus feathers and pinky brown in colour, doesn't seem to bother the chick it's still wriggling about and stuff, looks horrid, had it been on a hen in the coop i'd have put savlon on it but i thought that would probably mean the mama hen would be more likely to go for it...
can a hen change her mind about a chick for the better? she seems so caring about it now.

I really don't know about how the mom will behave if you put salve on it or otherwise, but it may be the mother didn't cause it in the first place, it may be an injury, infection, birth defect, illness, ect. I would consult a vet. When trying to attatch photos, u need to upload them to the post and then click "thumbnail" or "full picture". This will assure the photos are attatched

 

[5fathens]

thank you, i think it looks like an injury, maybe the mama picked it up by it's head a bit roughly, it certainly hatched with a fine head of fluff.

 

[birdlover2]

thank you, i think it looks like an injury, maybe the mama picked it up by it's head a bit roughly, it certainly hatched with a fine head of fluff.

If it's an injury would def put salve on it of some kind...but of course this could cause the mom to peck at it. Have you tried picking the chick up, is she protecting it? If not, how does she react when the chick isn't around? Is she still being nice to it?

 

[5fathens]

If it's an injury would def put salve on it of some kind...but of course this could cause the mom to peck at it. Have you tried picking the chick up, is she protecting it? If not, how does she react when the chick isn't around? Is she still being nice to it?

Hi, she gets louder and stressy when I move the chick and didn't let it go on its own as soon as I put it down she was covering it to keep it warm and protect it I presume. She's gentle by nature normally and hasn't really fussed when moving her and chick but we didn't keep them apart but from her body language and noise I don't think she'd be happy, but she does trust us so I'm not surprised she's not getting too cross

 

[birdlover2]

Hi, she gets louder and stressy when I move the chick and didn't let it go on its own as soon as I put it down she was covering it to keep it warm and protect it I presume. She's gentle by nature normally and hasn't really fussed when moving her and chick but we didn't keep them apart but from her body language and noise I don't think she'd be happy, but she does trust us so I'm not surprised she's not getting too cross

Alright, well I guess you should just keep the chick with her for now. If the wound gets worse or infected put some salve on it and/or call a vet.

 

[5fathens]

Little chick didn't make it past 48 hours, didn't eat or drink unless i helped i. But i rescued the egg mama hen had abandoned and it's now a lovely nearly 6 week old only trouble not quite sure how to integrate her with the rest of the flock as she's on her own and a bantam too.....

 

[Jt and Chicks]

Mabey you could try putting her in with them excepted have a smaller cage for her to stay in for a few days so they can get used to her then mabey they wont be so rough... I that doesn't work then you might have to make a pen for the gentler chickens?