Hen's killing one of my hen, feather by feather.

[buddy18]

Is it okay to use my horse fly repellent on my hen? She was attacked by her flock and hurt her horribly, tore up her vent. I just want to put her out when she heals up and I know she will never be able to go back to the flock. I just want to make sure that flies can't get to her bottom. She is very tiny, my rooster jumped her and we thought she would never walk again. My daughter I bought some chicks and and gave her one chick and it totally gave her the will to live and walk (not very well but she could get along). I had hoped that she would never lay eggs, but last week she laid 2 and that's when it started, they started plucking out her feathers. Came home and they had pulled out all of all of her bottom feathers and she was bleeding and starting up her leg to her wing. I got her out in time, they were killing her. Took her to the vet and thought she had a infection in her vent, but he said they had starting to get into the lining . He said she was lucky to be alive. Got home and she needed to lay a egg. It was stuck and with her vent ripped I really was scared we weren't going to be to get it out, but thank goodness we did. She was prescribed a oral antibiotic to rub on and I keep making sure her vent is open. I used equaide on her to put a barrier on her raw parts and stayed away from the vent, but I'm having a horrible time to removing it. No matter how much I try to soak it, but she was walking and wanted to get on my bed and watch TV. Okay today, and I'm sure she has to be pain, but she does not want to walk or stand. So this happened Sunday and today is Tuesday. I gave her some diluted poultry cell. The vet had told me they have a soluble oral antibiotic that I can buy from the feed store but he couldn't remember the name. I don't see anything infected but I don't know what to do. Is she feeling this way from the trauma of what her flock did, the torn up vent and of course trying to lay that egg that she doesn't want to get up? She doesn't even weight a pound but she is a sweetheart. I know I'm rambling, but I lost my beloved Lucy last year and don't want to lose her, am I doing everything that I can?

 

[nuthatched]

Quite frankly, I believe it would be best to put her down. I know it's hard but you're not doing her any favors by keeping her alive like this. Chickens hide pain, so the fact she's showing any pain is telling to how much pain she's in.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...re-culling-the-injured-and-sick-babies.72140/
I'm very sorry.

 

[Tonyroo]

Op said she didn't want to lose her. Sounds like she's a bantam chicken in a flock of standard size chickens. Is this correct?

You won't be able to keep her in that flock cause it will happen again. If your determined to keep her, she will need her own coop when she get healthier to use it. And I think you said you had chicks? The chicks might be able to be her new flock for the time being.

My older chick is having a hard time getting in the coop, cause she's getting harassed by her mom. So I've been placing her in my outdoor brooder with my 3 week old chicks and they get along. Stress alleviated. I hope my situation can help with your situation. And I hope she is doing better.

 

[buddy18]

She actually is suppose to be a small hen, but she was the runt. She will not be going back to the coop so I guess I will have mostly a indoor chicken. We bought 4 chicks last spring and one was killed by a hawk so we her and the older chick and they were together until we put them with the other 3. Everything was fine until she laid that egg, she is so tiny I didn't think she would be able to lay. I only noticed, they were in their outside coop, that there were feathers all around, saw nothing wrong until the next they were in the outside coop and they had her down on her side plucking away. I just good we got home when we did, the vet said they would have killed her. The look on her face as they were doing it was so sad and helpless. Glad your situation is working out.

 

[buddy18]

Quite frankly, I believe it would be best to put her down. I know it's hard but you're not doing her any favors by keeping her alive like this. Chickens hide pain, so the fact she's showing any pain is telling to how much pain she's in.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...re-culling-the-injured-and-sick-babies.72140/
I'm very sorry.

That's why I took her to the vet, if the couldn't help her I would have put her down. The doctor said she would make it, I don't believe in letting any animal suffer also. I hope he's right and I will make sure she's not in pain.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

What are you having "a horrible time removing it" ? The equiade? I feel like I missed something. If she's inside are flies an issue? I use horse fly spray in the coop sometimes, but never directly on birds. But, I also use permethrin which is animal safe including poultry. So, if its something like that - safe to use on all animals, it should be fine.
I wish your little one the best. I hope her vent heals well since she is determined to lay eggs.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

also use permethrin which is animal safe including poultry. So, if its something like that - safe to use on all animals, it should be fine.
I wish your little one the best

Permethrin is not completely animal safe. If it's not totally dried, permethrin is /very/ toxic to cats.

 

[buddy18]

What are you having "a horrible time removing it" ? The equiade? I feel like I missed something. If she's inside are flies an issue? I use horse fly spray in the coop sometimes, but never directly on birds. But, I also use permethrin which is animal safe including poultry. So, if its something like that - safe to use on all animals, it should be fine.
I wish your little one the best. I hope her vent heals well since she is determined to lay eggs.

The equaide is a topical used for treating wounds on all animals a provides a scab shell to protect the skin. It's great stuff for medical treatment but getting if off her, it suppose to eventually dissolve. Then I read up on it again it also protects the wound from flies. And thank you.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Permethrin is not completely animal safe. If it's not totally dried, permethrin is /very/ toxic to cats.

Oh yeah true. I meant farm animal. And I don't have cats so that wasn't on my mind.

Edited to say, I should have stated livestock above. I know semantics matter. It's too bad that what I said wasn't inferred on byc. As well, I use the powder version not the spray. I was just making a comparison.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Oh yeah true. I meant farm animal. And I don't have cats so that wasn't on my mind.

Edited to say, I should have stated livestock above. I know semantics matter. It's too bad that what I said wasn't inferred on byc. As well, I use the powder version not the spray. I was just making a comparison.

Well, to be fair, some people consider cats to be farm animals, and the OP very well could have cats, so it's important to be aware of the risk anyways.

Wasn't trying to start an argument though, so nevermind