Is this an infection/sickness?

Anomyanom

Hatching
Jun 24, 2025
7
7
9
Warning for a little blood and some scabs in images below:

I received a month old chick from someone who wasn’t able to care for it, I believe it’s a broiler.
I raise laying chickens so I’m not familiar with broiler-related issues.

Here’s my concerns with the chick I’ve received:

•This chick has red, swollen wings that rub against her sides and cause a little bleeding. They almost look like blood blisters. Google AI said it could be a sign of infection but I couldn’t find anything else about it, and I don’t really trust the AI overview.

•Her feet look raw and scabbed over. She doesn’t seem too uncomfortable but she definitely walks less than my other pullets.

•She’s pretty active and alert, but she has less energy than my other pullets (although it might be typical for broilers to have less energy due to their weight?)

•She eats less than my other chickens, and she will hardly eat crumbles unless I add bird seed mix (similar to scratch). Her crop stays full though, so maybe she’s just a picky eater? Lol

•Her droppings look mostly normal, although they’re a little green or sometimes have a little bit of yellow, and they’re a bit watery. They don’t have any smells that would indicate an infection though.

Anyways, what is this? Is it an injury or maybe some kind of friction sore from her wings rubbing against her bare sides? Is it a sign of an infection or illness?
Also are her feet just callused from a poor enclosure? It doesn’t look like bumblefoot or any other foot disease, but the color looks off.
IMG_9130.jpeg
IMG_9133.jpeg
IMG_9132.jpeg
IMG_9134.jpeg
 
Looks like contact dermatitis on her feet. Seems odd that a broiler is being a picky eater. Again if she's been kept in poor conditions and learned to possibly eat only scratch grains that could be the cause for her problems, improper nutrition. I'd keep her segregated till you're sure she isn't ill. Possibly try moistening the food and make a mash or offer it with some scrambled egg mixed in, maybe add some b vitamins or nutritional yeast to her diet. See if that improves things. Factory style broilers aren't really bred to live long. Just to reach slaughter weight so they can have issues with a lack of proper diet since they grow so fast, they need higher protein feed.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32998380/

Soaking the feet in epsom salt and gentle debridement and antibiotic ointment may help. She needs a very clean and dry environment.
 
Last edited:
I would agree with @DLA . Have you seen the place where she was raised? How do her poops look? Does she have problems walking? She may have had difficulty getting around, and had some muddy conditions. The soaking and clean dry bedding will help. Coccidiosis can make a chick weak, not eat well, and can cause runnipy poops. If you think that is a problem, I would treat with Corid in the water 2 tsp per gallon of water for 5-7 days.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom