My hen, Pepper, caught her beak on something yesterday afternoon. When I let the girls out for an early evening free-range, and threw a few mealworms down, I noticed she couldn't peck properly (usually she is lightening fast) and her beak seemed tender. She has torn it about 1/3 of the way up and there was a little dried blood on the tear but she was not bleeding. She gingerly tried to peck around but it was obviously sore. She will eat out of my hand but seems to have a little trouble otherwise and is not great at drinking but maybe that is due to the soreness.
I've read that you can use super glue gel on a piece of tea bag to make a little patch to fix the tear. My question is, would it be bad to do this since she bled a little and maybe has dirt or bacteria in the wound? I tried to clean it with a saline wound wash but I don't know if it was very effective and I stopped because she seemed to be swallowing it. Should I try to put some Bactine or something on it?
If anybody had repaired a torn beak before, I'd love your advice! I'm going to try to get a hold of a vet but I don't know if I'll find anyone who treats chickens since I live in the city.
I've read that you can use super glue gel on a piece of tea bag to make a little patch to fix the tear. My question is, would it be bad to do this since she bled a little and maybe has dirt or bacteria in the wound? I tried to clean it with a saline wound wash but I don't know if it was very effective and I stopped because she seemed to be swallowing it. Should I try to put some Bactine or something on it?
If anybody had repaired a torn beak before, I'd love your advice! I'm going to try to get a hold of a vet but I don't know if I'll find anyone who treats chickens since I live in the city.
