Help! Young pullet brutalized by young cockerel

[SassysMom]

This may sound cruel, but you may have to take a rough rag and try to scrub away any necrotic tissue. If she has started laying eggsm, you may want to keep her cage dark for 16 hours a day to prevent her from laying. It may take a few days to help. Neosporin or bacitracin ointment may help if the area is looking bad. The honey is supposed to be good for swelling/infection. Get her on some probiotics or give a small amount of buttermilk or plain yogurt in her diet.

I'm a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse and Epidemiologist (retired). Nothing sounds cruel when it necessary treatment. Rosie continues to improve and has a good appetite. I put homemade yogurt in her food last night and she went right for it. I'll start giving her a little 3-4 times/day, if that's not too much. I also added vitamins to her food and probiotics and electrolytes to her water.

What is the yellow/white substance leaking out of her? Thankfully, it's only a little tonight. She hasn't started laying, yet, but could be close. I'll make sure she gets 16 hours/day of darkness. she seems to be enjoying the solitary and covered crate.

I just finished another bath for her just a little while ago. Her injuries are looking better. Her vent is less swollen and I've been able to gently push the vent back in. I did take a wet wash cloth and clean the whole area out pretty well. She wasn't crazy about that, but she's being a trooper. Cleaning her up actually made the wounds look less angry. I sprayed the area again with Vetricin. I have Neosporin. Would that be better? I'm also using local raw pasturized honey on her vent.

Thanks to all who are helping. This is a powerful lesson and I'm sure I skipped class the one day they talked about Chicken health!

Connie

 

[Eggcessive]

I've scrubbed pediatric burns and performed painful other procedures too throughout my career, including some NICU, so we have that in common. It's just that many can't bear to do anything that migt be painful, but helpful to a pet, but you sound like you will be fine. The white and yellow liquid is urates and bile I believe, and that seems fairly common with the cases I have seen pictures of and read about. I haven't treated it myself yet. The honey is supposed to help the swelling and have antibiotic properties, but the vetericyn or neosporin should work too, now that you have pushed the prolapse back in. I'm really glad she is in your hands, and hope she makes a good recovery.

 

[6of6chicks]

I'm a newbie and don't have any experience with this, but I wanted to convey my sympathies! That poor girl! I hope she recovers and wish you the best of luck!

 

[SassysMom]

I've scrubbed pediatric burns and performed painful other procedures too throughout my career, including some NICU, so we have that in common. It's just that many can't bear to do anything that migt be painful, but helpful to a pet, but you sound like you will be fine. The white and yellow liquid is urates and bile I believe, and that seems fairly common with the cases I have seen pictures of and read about. I haven't treated it myself yet. The honey is supposed to help the swelling and have antibiotic properties, but the vetericyn or neosporin should work too, now that you have pushed the prolapse back in. I'm really glad she is in your hands, and hope she makes a good recovery.

I'll do everything I can for her. I'm just very grateful for all the help and that we have something (in addition to chickens) in common. It helps to have that kind of support. Please jump right in and say don't do this or do that. Books don't always tell you everything!

~Connie

 

[SassysMom]

I'm a newbie and don't have any experience with this, but I wanted to convey my sympathies! That poor girl! I hope she recovers and wish you the best of luck!

Thank you, 6of6chicks! I've had chickens most of my life, but never the number or issues that I've encountered in the last year. We're all newbies at some point What matters the most is knowing there is help and support out there. I've come to BYC many times and found answers, tips and a lot of support. Sharing helps all of us!

Connie

 

[SassysMom]

If those are the only two you have, I'd suggest getting more pullets. I keep no less than 10 hens per rooster. If picking is a problem, take an auto cigarette lighter to the offender and burn back 1/8" of the upper beak. Make sure you have control of the bird's head before attempting this. That way there will be no bleeding. It may sound cruel, but you aren't hitting the nerves, you are merely reducing the point of the upper beak's cuticle. The bird can still eat, just not tear at material items.

Thanks, Michael! I am trying to get some more girls for that pen. Two of the girls are younger and look up to this pullet and cockerel as their mom and dad (even though they're not). My other girl is 9 months. She's too big to be with the little ones right now.

I appreciate your concern and suggestions.

~Connie

 

[Michael Apple]

Thanks, Michael! I am trying to get some more girls for that pen. Two of the girls are younger and look up to this pullet and cockerel as their mom and dad (even though they're not). My other girl is 9 months. She's too big to be with the little ones right now.

I appreciate your concern and suggestions.

~Connie

You're welcome. I hope it all works out. Pickers can be real pain in the neck. I have one that stands next to my rooster and pecks at his wing sometimes. I spray some Bitter Apple on the wing feathers, watch her try it again and she walks away very quickly, haha.

 

[SassysMom]

Update on Rosie the (LF) Red Orpington pullet...

She's doing a lot better than I thought she would a couple of days ago! Well enough to give me "what for" at her last bath tonight. The dead skin is sloughing little by little. Just a small red part of her vent falls out, but is easily pushed back in. Her appetite is great, She's especially loving the yogurt treat. One day at a time. She WILL get through this!

I'm beginning to wonder if it might have been another young cockerel that was in with the young Reds. A Blue Orp about the same age. I guess I'll never know but I've been watching him the last couple of days (in his new pen), and he seems pretty aggressive when it comes to eating. The Red cockerel stands back and waits for Rosie and the 2 younger pullets to eat and drink and they all try to sleep under his wings. Hhhhmmmm...

Will update Rosie's progress as she recovers.

~Connie

 

[SassysMom]

I'm sorry to be back on this subject, but Rosie's in Sick Bay, again. She was removed from her flock for more than a month and was doing fine. Three days ago, I was doing her weekly check and right away I could smell a foul odor in her vent area. She was full of poop sticking to that area.

Back to the sterile scrub and Epson salts baths. Getting the area cleaned up, I found the area around the vent swollen and red. The vent is no longer prolapsed, thank goodness, but the area around there was swollen. What worries me most if that she seems to just be producing soft stool continuously. She's never laid an egg and with her current condition, I don't think that she could. She's eating and drinking normally. Chatters away at me. I've fortified her food, and she has probiotics on board. She's devouring herbs fresh from my garden (the herbs are in her food. She's not in my garden). She's alert, but carries her back-end tucked. I took her out with me so she could free range on some grass, mud and worms. She loved that, and wanted to go in with the other chickens that she could see through the fence.

Anyone with experience with this condition? Even though she's alert and active, I don't know how she can live. It seems as if she keeps eating and it goes right through her she won't retain any nutrients. FYI, the stool is soft and formed, like it's a continuous tube. No diahhrea.

I don't want her to suffer, but she sure doesn't seem like she is.

Help! please...

Connie

 

[Michael Apple]

I'm sorry to be back on this subject, but Rosie's in Sick Bay, again. She was removed from her flock for more than a month and was doing fine. Three days ago, I was doing her weekly check and right away I could smell a foul odor in her vent area. She was full of poop sticking to that area.
She's eating and drinking normally. Chatters away at me. I've fortified her food, and she has probiotics on board. She's devouring herbs fresh from my garden (the herbs are in her food. She's not in my garden). She's alert, but carries her back-end tucked. I took her out with me so she could free range on some grass, mud and worms. She loved that, and wanted to go in with the other chickens that she could see through the fence.

Anyone with experience with this condition? Even though she's alert and active, I don't know how she can live. It seems as if she keeps eating and it goes right through her she won't retain any nutrients. FYI, the stool is soft and formed, like it's a continuous tube. No diahhrea.

I don't want her to suffer, but she sure doesn't seem like she is.

Help! please...

Connie

If you give epsom salt baths, be careful not to chill the bird. There is no reason to give "baths" to a bird unless the bird's vent is so pasted it can't be cleaned any other way. If a bird is eggbound, it will sometimes help, but not like Calcibird or Calcivet with calcium, D3, and magnesium will. The hen is 5 months old. What do you mean "fortified her food"? What are you feeding her?

What herbs are you feeding her, and how much daily?

Letting the bird frequent muddy areas with earthworms which are vectors for intestinal worms and protozoa is not a good idea.

So the stool sounds normal. What color is it, and are there any white urates capping the droppings?