help! chicken found with wounds around her neck!

[lfrye11]

hey everyone, i just got back from a short trip and found my chicken had blood around her neck and what looked like an open wound on her left side. she’s a very timid orpington (i believe). i didn’t handle them much as chicks so she wouldn’t let me pick her up. she was hiding under one of the vehicles in the barn, and wouldn’t go around the other chickens. i have 3 other hens and a rooster (he’s very sweet and doesn’t show any signs of aggression). we also have 10 chicks that hatched mid-january. i don’t know if it was one of the hens (they are all usually very kind) or some other predator. i’ve attatched some pics. i took a video and screenshotted so it looks like it is a video but it won’t play. sorry they’re kinda blurry but please help! thanks!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Better pictures would be helpful. From what you’ve posted it looks like her earlobe is torn. There seems to be a dark spot under her chin as well. That could be another injury or dried blood from somewhere else.

Either way she’s going to have to be caught for a better look and a cleaning.

 

[3SpeckledSussex]

I thought it looked like the ear as well. Were you able to get ahold of her and check out where the wound is located and clean it up a bit? Is she eating and drinking? Hope she heals up quickly.

 

[lfrye11]

she is eating. not really drinking from what i saw, but i’m sure she drank when i wasn’t there. i am going to try to clean her up today and get a better look. thanks for the help! and i’ll keep y’all updated

 

[lfrye11]

ok, so i just fed them and locked them up for the night. she had newer wounds, and let me pick her up to wash them with a wet paper towel. should i use alcohol or peroxide or something along those lines for cleaning her wounds? also, she is staying on the opposite side of the pen from the other chickens, so i feel like it could be from them. here are some pictures from tonight.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Those do look like pecking wounds. If she is isolating herself the others are probably picking on her.
They may not have caused the initial injury but can see red very well and tend to peck at wounds.
I would try to rinse it with water at least. Peroxide can be used but only for the first cleaning. Saline would be best but not always on hand. If you have a syringe with out the needle you can squirt the wounds to clean them. Even pouring clean water over them to get the dirt out.
If you can seperate her I would. They will continue to "help" her with her wounds until they heal.
Depending on how deep they are you could use blukote in them. I've heard it stings and you don't want to use it on punctures or large wounds. It literally turns everything blue. But stops pecking from other birds.
Vetricyn is good for wounds too. Or some plain old antibiotic ointment you'd use on yourself. (Some say no pain med kind, others say pain med kind is fine)

 

[lfrye11]

ok, thank you so much! the other person that helps me take care of them (he does morning i do night) said that he found her with a giant tick on her head, which would be the cause for the initial wound and the red part(like the gobble on a turkey-maybe the earlobe) is looking purple. again, thanks for your help and hopefully she’ll be in good shape soon!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Try to clean her up and see what you have. They are very good at hiding their discomfort but remarkable at healing. You can trim feathers if needed. Clean is what your going for so their is no infection.

A tick is surprising to me. I would think the other birds would have made a meal out of it quickly.

 

[3SpeckledSussex]

If you don't have saline solution, then just clean with water. I would keep her alone till she heals up. The others will just keep picking on her especially when they see blood.