HELP!!! Broody went homocidal but chicks are still alive!!!

mrsdelore

Songster
6 Years
Apr 6, 2015
103
58
131
Upstate, NY
I'm not even sure what happened, honestly. Two chicks hatched this morning. All seemed well, but then about an hour ago my daughter went in the coop and both chicks were bloody and ripped up and underneath the broody hen in the next box. They were NOT under the hen who hatched them. And when we tried to place her with them, she attacked them. The hen in the next box also tried to attack them. So at this point we don't know WHO attacked them but I have two ripped up chicks that are somehow still alive and I don't know what to do for them!


They are inside in a small paper-towel lined box and under the heat lamp. They are both moving and peeping, but look awful. The younger chick doesn't look as injured, but the older chick has pretty much had half its scalp ripped off!






Other than keeping them warm and safe, all I could think to do was pick off the shavings that I could and drizzle the open wounds with coconut oil. I figured that was the best option due to it's antibacterial and antiseptic properties. I have antibiotic ointment but it won't stick to the wet wounds and I have no clue how I would even cover these wounds at this point.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
I've had the same thing happen with my broodies. Sometimes they are weird and don't accept chicks for one reason or another. They aren't ready, they don't like the color of the chick, they have never hatched chicks and have no idea what this creature is interrupting their peaceful egg-sitting, who knows but it happens.

Chicks are incredibly resilient though. I had a chick that was just red covered in it's own blood from mama hen attack but it survived. I also had a slightly older chick (maybe 3-4 weeks) who mysteriously got it's scalp separated from it's skull and he survived as well.

I don't know that coconut oil is the best (never tried it so I really don't know) but I imagine it's not anti-bacterial enough. And I would think it would make it hard for the wounds to breath, possibly trapping bacteria underneath it.

Do you have any blue kote? That's all I used with both of those chicks and they recovered just fine. Maybe a dab or two of the antibacterial ointment as well, once the area dries out a bit it will stick. I would also keep them in the paper towel lined box, just make sure they have an area where they can get out from underneath the heat lamp if they want.

Good luck and I hope they both recover!
 

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