Help! What do I do?

[SBC123]

5 week old Seramas, I believe it's a roo. I came home from work and checked on the chicks in the brooder. He was the leader up until I found him like this!

 

[Eggcessive]

Poor little rooster. I would use Vetericyn or a similar brand of Wound Spray, or saline to clean the wound twice a day, followed by applying plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment. He needs to be separated until the wound heals some. Later on, BluKote can sometimes be helpful in masking the red skin until feathers grow in, if you want to try him back with the others.

 

[SBC123]

Thanks. Should he be all alone? Or should I give him a companion? There's a chick developing much slower than the others. I could put her in with him. (I think she's a pullet, anyway.)

 

[Eggcessive]

I would worry that she might peck his head. Can you separate them with a little screen or something?

 

[sourland]

Great advice from @Eggcessive. Such wounds heal, but it will take a while as they tend to heal from the 'outside inwards'. Something caused this to happen. Are your chicks overcrowded ? I am concerned that another chick/chicks will be scalped.

 

[feathermaid]

I wonder about enough space too. 5 weeks is should be old enough to move out to the coop. They'll be trying to establish the pecking order now and will need as much room as possible, especially the ones that need to get away. It might also be a good place to set up a little divider so your cockerel can safely heal... with the rest of the flock.

 

[SBC123]

It's a mix batch of chicks - 2 five weekers and 3 for weekers. The other 5 well old chick is a runt. Now they are sharing because Banshee is injured and Pixie is having neck issues.... Luckily, that are doing well together. Also, my coop chickens (2 are almost 1 year and 6 are 3 months) are not seramas, so they are quite a bit bigger. They are all bantams, but 2 of them are growing quite a bit bigger than my oldest which are silkies.