help caring for this head wound?

[SophiaLinn]

So I posted about this same issue like last week. We noticed she had this crusty scab wound on her head that may have been from being pecked at. It hasn’t changed much until just now when i looked at it and part of it was raised so i lifted it and this whole thing came out, idk how to describe it so I added pics. Now it’s like an open wound so i put neosporin on it and separated her so it wouldn’t get dirty and pecked at. I know i’m not supposed to separate her again because we just integrated her in may but i’m not sure what else to do. Any ideas/advice??

 

[coach723]

She needs to be separated until it's no longer a risk for pecking, which will make it worse. Blood or red will attract pecking from others. Do you have a rooster? That is a common area of injury from a roo hanging on with his beak while mounting. I've had hens injured by other hens here also. It may have happened as a pecking order thing since you said in your other post that she's new. It may have gotten dirt/debris in there, it may have had some infection (chicken pus is very firm, almost cheese like - it looks like there may be some pus there). The wound looks pretty clean now. I would flush it out well and keep it filled and covered with the plain neosporin, reapplying 2 or 3 times a day to keep it covered in ointment and moist until it's healing up well. If it gets dirty then you may need to clean/flush it again. May take some time since it appears to be fairly deep, but these usually heal up well. Unless you see signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus, bad odor) I would let the scab form and fall away on it's own. You can put her in a wire crate in the coop or run where the others can still she her and she can see them, but she will be safe from pecking. It's usually less stressful that way and makes reintegration easier. Just make sure she is safe from predators. In the future, for a continuing issue with the same bird, it's good to continue the same thread. When you start a new one then those that were following the first thread don't get alerts that you've posted more. I will link to your first post here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/crusty-head-wound.1481335/

 

[SophiaLinn]

She needs to be separated until it's no longer a risk for pecking, which will make it worse. Blood or red will attract pecking from others. Do you have a rooster? That is a common area of injury from a roo hanging on with his beak while mounting. I've had hens injured by other hens here also. It may have happened as a pecking order thing since you said in your other post that she's new. It may have gotten dirt/debris in there, it may have had some infection (chicken pus is very firm, almost cheese like - it looks like there may be some pus there). The wound looks pretty clean now. I would flush it out well and keep it filled and covered with the plain neosporin, reapplying 2 or 3 times a day to keep it covered in ointment and moist until it's healing up well. If it gets dirty then you may need to clean/flush it again. May take some time since it appears to be fairly deep, but these usually heal up well. Unless you see signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus, bad odor) I would let the scab form and fall away on it's own. You can put her in a wire crate in the coop or run where the others can still she her and she can see them, but she will be safe from pecking. It's usually less stressful that way and makes reintegration easier. Just make sure she is safe from predators. In the future, for a continuing issue with the same bird, it's good to continue the same thread. When you start a new one then those that were following the first thread don't get alerts that you've posted more. I will link to your first post here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/crusty-head-wound.1481335/

thank you so much for this! we don’t have a rooster and i did put her in a large wire dog crate in the coop. i’ll be following all this advice! and thanks for the tip about posting, good to know!