My chicken's comb is half torn off. Need HELP!!

[117@fleur]

Hey,

I joined this site simply to ask one question: is there anything I can do (bar visiting a vet) to help my chook who has somehow half ripped off her comb? We found her this afternoon, and cleaned it with salty water.

She's been laying for a while, and is really healthy. She keeps trying to rip what's left of her comb off. It's still bleeding, but I have no idea what more I can do...

Please help me, I'm stressing out!

 

[cjeanean]

A lot of people 'dub' the chickens' combs and wattles, so I'm assuming you won't have a problem. Try looking up info on chicken dubbing (which, BTW, is cutting the comb and wattles off for show purposes). I'll see if I can find something helpful.

Also, just to let u know....if you have chickens I can guarantee you'll be back...There's too much good info and too many good ppl....LOL....

And an FYI: it is illegal to post about animals you have without posting pics as well!!! Not really, but everyone LOVES pics. It can also help when you have an injury, cause then ppl will be able to see what's going on. Good to have you, hope we can all help!

 

[dixiechick]

Welcome to your new obsession!!!

You can cut the rest of the comb off (dubbing). I have to in order to show my Old English Bantams. They bleed like heck, but act completely fine very soon. If you choose to go this route, use a very sharp pair of scissors (like manicure scissors). Cut long enough that what is left of the comb will close.

Sounds like it irritates her...I believe she would be happier with it removed (one less thing to worry about for her).

PS. I understand this may freak you out a bit....I HATE doing this!!! It bothers me worse than Clyde, my roo!

PSS. It IS illegal here not to post pix!!!!!

 

[117@fleur]

thanks heaps guys.

Yeah she seems ok this morning, she's eating and stuff, but it keeps getting in the way. I don't think anyone here has the gts to cut it off, but Mum's saying we'll take her to the vet on monday anyway.

thank you so much for replying so quickly. sorry about no pics lol, but maybe i'll get some soon and post them up!

thanks again.

 

[117@fleur]

OK well I told Mum what you guys had said and so we went and did it ourselves. We cut it off (it was only hanging by half a centimetre) and dunked her head in ice water, then put some antiseptic powder on it.

we put her back in the pen and i think she's ok. it's not bleeding or anything, and she doesn't look like she's in pain.

thanks again for the advice. if she'd died we would've had to give our other one away because we are going overseas for two weeks and she would;ve been lonely.

thanks so much again. I'll get a pic soon!

 

[silkiechicken]

Sounds like you did the right thing. Since it's not dangling either, you won't have to worry so much about the dead tissue rotting and the bird getting gangerine either. If you ever need to stop blood from flowing, corn starch can work if you don't have a quick stop type of blood clotting agent in your pet med kits.

 

[shareneh]

That was very brave of you two. Having chickens is a thrill but sometimes can be very scary. Welcome to BYC.

 

[CamsCluckinChicks]

Seriously? You cut it off? One of my little ones - I call him Ikey - I think it's a cockerel. LOL! Anyway, Ikey had part of his comb seperated from his head this morning when I went out to my Farmette work. I didn't know what to do, so I brought him in (he's just under 3 months old), dabbed the blood with a moist, warm paper towel & put him in our 'quarantine cribette'. See, we have Coop #1 which is our layers (and of course Jake, our big 1-year old Buff Orpington Roo - ha ha), Coop #2 which houses my Polish (including my 4-month old Cockerel Marley) and currently also houses my Silkies, 2 Cochin's (one of which is Ikey) and my husband's Black Sumatra pullet. In Coop #2 there are 2-1/2 month and 4-1/2 month old's. Coop #1 has 5 one-year olds and the rest are all 4-1/2 months old.

We plan, next spring, to have a "Silkie Hut" also. The little Bantam Cochin (Freddie) will move with the Silkie's, but the Sumatra (Sammy) will stay with the Polish. In the winter, the Silkies will live in the "Crib"...which is a 4x6' coop I bought from My Pet Chicken - it's wonderful, but not very practical as it's rather 'small'...of course, I came to this conclusion after I ended up needing 2 large coops...because I keep ordering chickens. LOL! Next - my Jersey Giants! Ha ha!

Anyway...seriously? I need to literally take a pair of really sharp shears and cut off his comb? I'm going to do some more research on this, but would appreciate it if some of you amazing fellow chicken lovers would give me a hollar & let me know this is OK. LOL!

Thanks!

 

[silkiechicken]

The original thread is over a year old.

From your pics, the comb doesn't seem that badly torn as its not dangling and is still red. See if you can't wash off the blood and stop the bleeding, if it is just a surface tear, it might heal right up on it's own and you won't have to remove it.

But if that tear is deep, and it appears the tissue is going to die, you may consider dubbing him. If so, sharp scissors is essential. I doubt you'll have to do that though as the comb still looks pretty "alive" at the end.

 

[MyThreesome]

I realize that this thread is old, but reading the posts helped give me courage to do minor surgery on my Speckled Sussex pullet's torn comb today! The thought of gangrene or spreading infection freaked me out more than the thought of taking my sharp, alcohol-cleaned sewing shears to the dangling, discolored section of comb. Sorry I don't have a photo. I'll take one tomorrow of the healing area! I will say that she appeared to feel pain at the cutting off of the piece of comb, as she jerked and squawked. I dabbed Neosporin antibiotic ointment on the cut. One writer suggested doing the surgery at the end of the day, which is what I did. This way she can sleep and not get immediately pecked by her two companions. Also, a point of interest: writers said that dubbed combs don't grow back. I think hers has already begun to grow back where the original was torn off! Perhaps it depends on the breed. Photo to follow...