hen with torn comb and broken beak

[chknchk84]

Hi All!

I'm a newbie chicken keeper - this is our first flock. We have 5 pullets that are about 5 months old. No eggs yet, but we're patiently (kinda) waiting. We haven't noticed any aggressive behavior within the flock, but today I saw that Wilma, our silver laced wyandotte, has a tear at the back of her comb and the tip of her top beak is broken to the quick. She seems completely fine otherwise - eating and drinking. Her poop seems normal, and she still seems perky. I cleaned the comb with soap and water and put some neosporin on it. I'm wondering if I should be doing something more....

We keep them in a completely fenced in run with sand, so predators are not an issue. When we get home from work, we let them out into a fenced off section of the yard to free range - which is when I noticed her injuries. They were not there yesterday. I'm not sure if it was caused by another hen or if she flew or ran into something. I didn't see any blood around the run, but I don't know how another hen would have caused the injury to her beak.

Here are a couple photos, and thank you in advance for your help/advice!!

 

[Wyandottes7]

I'm not sure what happened to her. But, it doesn't seem too serious, though that broken beak is a little concerning. Is she still eating well? Sometimes, a broken beak can be so painful that a chicken won't eat. You did the right thing putting neosporin on her comb. The comb should heal just fine; my birds have had many worse injuries, and have always recovered fully from then.

 

[chknchk84]

Thanks so much for your response! I'm not sure what happened to her either, and I feel so bad! She still seems to be eating well - she actually acts like it doesn't bother her at all. This is really our first injury/concern with the girls, so of course I'm probably worrying more than I should be.

 

[crazychick26201]

One of my hens which are 6 months old has the same injury. What could have happened? Thanks for the mention of treating it with neosporin. I will do that tonight.

 

[chknchk84]

Sorry to hear that! I never did find out how it happened with ours. Another good product to invest in is Vetericyn hydrogel. It's a wound cleansing product that you should be able to find at your local feed store. It's a little pricey but definitely good to have on hand!

 

[crazychick26201]

Thanks! I hope they have it at Tractor Supply. I am going tomorrow to get stuff to make a first aid kit. We just got home from our vacation tonight and I had to deal with this before I could even unpack the car! But my little hen was such a good girl and let me doctor her. She is resting in a dog crate in the basement for the night so the others won't go after her for the blood. I just worry so much about this one. She had pasting as a chick and a broken beak once before. She is also the only one who has not developed her comb and wattle. Of course because of all this, she is my favorite.

 

[chknchk84]

Poor thing! We got ours from tractor supply - I believe it was in the equine section, but it may be different at each store. Good luck!

 

[crazychick26201]

How is your injured hen? Did the others peck at her? I am having to isolate mine because I tried to put her back in and another chicken (the smallest one) went for her. I also got stuff for a first aid kit today!

 

[chknchk84]

She ended up being fine! It healed quickly, and the other pullets never bothered her.