large red sore on back???

[Vachickenlady17]

I have a bantam frizzle roo named Jelly. I think Jelly was overly frizzled. He has never been a beautiful bird, and he is getting weirder looking as time goes on. He has always had some bald spots, but my concern in a sore that has popped up just above his tail. I think that is where his oil gland is? Anyway, it is large, red, and today it was bleeding a little bit. Does anyone have any idea what is going on?

 

[Scratchychiken]

Do you have other roos or aggressive hens? They could be picking on him.

Another possibility is mites, although I don’t think they usually make a bird bleed that way, and mites usually impact the bird’s body, not just the tail base.

Could be he simply banged it on something sharp, does your coop have any sharp points in it?

 

[Vachickenlady17]

I’ve never seen anyone peck at him, but I have heard that they will peck at a visible sore. I noticed the bump a while back and just thought it was his oil gland, but it is enlarged and red. I have never seen it on any other chickens, but, of course, most chickens are covered in feathers. There are no sharp objects around the coop, and he can’t even jump let alone fly (he doesn’t have any flight feathers, just looks like sticks poking out). Today was the first day I have seen any blood.

 

[Vachickenlady17]

Would mites be visible? He has several bare patches, but this is the only sore.

 

[Vachickenlady17]

Can you use an antibiotic ointment like neosporin or bacitracin on chickens?

 

[Scratchychiken]

To check for mites (atleast some mites) go into the coop at night, and shine a flashlight on his bum. If there are mites, usually little white dandruff looking bits will be spread out there.

Also check his poop for any abnormalities (little lines, blood, or white pus) I doubt it is worms, but better safe than sorry.

Yes you can use those ointments on em, if you think its just him being picked on, keep that wound clean, and separate him so he can regrow feathers over the sore(s). Also for the sore parts, I would add more protein to let those feathers grow in.

 

[Vachickenlady17]

I will check tonight. Unfortunately, I don’t think any feathers will ever grow there. He has always had the bald spots.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Greetings Vachickenlady17,

Yes, your instincts are right. Treat the symptoms first, then, you can try to determine what is causing the redness.

First clean the area, by flushing with a little saline solution, hydrogen peroxide or betadine solution, dry by patting with some sterile gauze or a clean wash cloth. Then, you can apply some Neosporin (no pain reliever in it), or some Vetracyn spray if you have it.
Some Blue-Kote will keep the other chickens from pecking it.

Isolate the chicken in a crate or safe place till it starts to heal. If you put him back in the pen with an injury, the others will peck at it and could even kill him. If you have other roosters in the flock you may have to put him back in the coop at night so he doesn't become a stranger to the flock.

This is his oil gland, but why is is inflammed? Could be a symptom of disease...

These are my thoughts on your rooster's wound, I hope they were helpful.

God Bless

 

[Vachickenlady17]

Greetings Vachickenlady17,

Yes, your instincts are right. Treat the symptoms first, then, you can try to determine what is causing the redness.

First clean the area, by flushing with a little saline solution, hydrogen peroxide or betadine solution, dry by patting with some sterile gauze or a clean wash cloth. Then, you can apply some Neosporin (no pain reliever in it), or some Vetracyn spray if you have it.
Some Blue-Kote will keep the other chickens from pecking it.

Isolate the chicken in a crate or safe place till it starts to heal. If you put him back in the pen with an injury, the others will peck at it and could even kill him. If you have other roosters in the flock you may have to put him back in the coop at night so he doesn't become a stranger to the flock.

This is his oil gland, but why is is inflammed? Could be a symptom of disease...

These are my thoughts on your rooster's wound, I hope they were helpful.

God Bless

Thank you for responding. I’m hoping that it will heal and he will be okay. He doesn’t act like anything is bothering him.

 

[coach723]

It's very hard to tell in the picture...here are a couple of pictures of the preen/oil gland, properly called the uropygial gland, so at some point you can look for it. The gland can get blocked or infected, not saying that is what happened, but just for info.

Also here is a link with pictures to help with lice/mites identification. Some mites only come out to feed (on the chicken) at night, thus the instructions to check while he's roosting with a flashlight. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
Could also be a wound from pecking by other birds, hope you can find out what happened.