Learned New Skill Today...Cauterizing a Bleeding Comb

[speckledhen]

Poor Isaac! One of my Delaware rooster's women just bit off the end of one of his comb points as he bent down to give her something to eat. It had a small scab on it, which is why she zeroed in on it. We scooped him up, leaving a blood trail up the steps (CSI would have been hot on our trail!). It was a gusher.

For almost an hour we tried everything. Blood Stop Powder doesn't stop it. Pressure didn't. Mixture of flour, cornstarch and blood stop powder didn't. Bandaging it with blood stop on the gauze didn't. Styptic pencil didn't. Ice didn't.

We were fresh out of super glue, which is usually our last resort. So, out came the blow torch and a piece of thick copper wire. We iced down the tip while putting pressure on the comb, then we touched the hot wire to the bleeder. It worked!!!

Incidents like this are why I only want roosters who are calm and don't mind being handled. Isaac is my buddy, comes up the roost for a chest rub every day when I'm raking poop, but he's never been handled like this. He wasn't happy, but he submitted to all we did without much struggling at all. He was very stressed and I was afraid he would have a heart attack in my lap, but I talked to him the whole time and he was just an awesome patient!

 

[gritsar]

Oh my goodness! Poor Isaac! He'll probably never get within ten feet of a hen again!

Then again, he is a roo and hormone driven.

 

[redhen]

Ouch, poor little guy!

Good job Cyn!

 

[speckledhen]

I thought he'd be mad at me, but he took food from my hand and didn't kick me in the shin, so guess we're still buds!

 

[DawnSuiter]

Congrats on what must have been at least scary and at worst horrifying!

and thanks for sharing!

one question... any reason you chose copper wire?

 

[Capone]

nice call with the hot metal, works every time

 

[gritsar]

Ouch! Shin kicks hurt!
Thor was very upset with me this morning for fussing with his favorite girls, trying to adjust their saddles...if stink eye could kill.

He grabbed a piece of styrofoam and took off running with it across the garden, clucking the whole way, trying to get the girls to follow him.

 

[NGT ANGL]

Glad that Isaac is OK and you were thinking fast and smart Cyn. This is one of the many reasons that I love BYC. After reading this and storing your solution in my mental chicken catalog, should I ever have this type of problem I will know what to do and hopefully be as adept at it as you were. Thanks for sharing and applause/kudos for quick thinking.

 

[halo]

I can't believe it took that much to stop the bleeding. You're braver than me, I dont think I would have even thought of that, much less tried it.

So what does his comb look like now?

 

[Chris09]

Good work...
pore hot wax in it or mud will some times work all so..

Chris