MY CHICKS GOT PECKED BY MY BIG CHICKENS! HELP HELP HELP

[chickens 4 ever]

So my chicks are separated with my big chickens by wire so they can get to them but they get used to them.... Well my chicks roost on the tope of the wire and i guess she flew down the other side and my chickens pecked her till she bled. I AM REALLY WORRIED! I am scared it will get infected because there is dried blood all over it! WHAT DO I DO????!!!! Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chickens 4 ever]

So my chicks are separated with my big chickens by wire so they CAN'T get to them but they get used to them.... Well my chicks roost on the tope of the wire and i guess she flew down the other side and my chickens pecked her till she bled. I AM REALLY WORRIED! I am scared it will get infected because there is dried blood all over it! WHAT DO I DO????!!!! Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry i meant to put can't

 

[chickens 4 ever]

So my chicks are separated with my big chickens by wire so they can get to them but they get used to them.... Well my chicks roost on the TOP of the wire and i guess she flew down the other side and my chickens pecked her till she bled. I AM REALLY WORRIED! I am scared it will get infected because there is dried blood all over it! WHAT DO I DO????!!!! Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry meant to put top

 

[mrsc1951]

Clean her up and put some blue kote on it. It will keep the others from pecking her where she was bleeding. Chickens are amazing little creatures with remarkable healing powers and if she is still up and moving around, eating, etc.; she will probably be fine in a week or so.

 

[chickens 4 ever]

Well what if it gets infected? What do I put in it? They are always separated so I don't need to give her that stuff.. Thank u Any other suggestions?

 

[azygous]

It's correct that chicks are tougher than they may appear, and heal quickly. But you're right to be concerned about infection.

I had a two-week old chick last summer that got pecked so badly by my rooster, she was literally scalped. She had a gaping wound, and from your description of your injured chick, far worse than yours. But it never got infected, and she healed completely, re-growing new skin and feathers.

The big secret is to cleanse the wound twice daily, morning and right before bedtime. Use peroxide or soap and water.

The second part to the secret is to keep the wound MOIST! Be very diligent about this! Do not let the wound dry out! This will prevent premature healing that can conceal infection underneath.

Blu-kote, while a useful disinfectant, won't keep a serious wound moist. Neosporin will work, but what I used was Silvadene. I had some left from when I had been badly burned, and I figured if it grew me new skin, maybe it would work for my chick. It did. And the silver in it prevented infection while keeping the wound moist.

Ay one point, I thought the chick was healed as well as she was going to, the wound being almost closed, but not quite. I quit treating it. It didn't get infected, but it stopped healing. I resumed treatment, going back to being faithful about keeping it moist, and healing resumed at a pace that amazed me.

It probably won't take as long as it did for my chick to heal, so I think your chick has an excellent chance to be good as new in no time if you commit to serious wound care.

 

[chickens 4 ever]

Ok thanks a lot a lot a lot!!!!!!!! That's a ton of good suggestions! I am going to go try them now

 

[chickens 4 ever]

How do I moisten it exactly? With cold or warm or hot water? And what is the peroxide doing for it?
I don't need to separate her to I?

 

[chickens 4 ever]

How many times do i put that peroxide on it? And how many times a day? I am going to get blue kote for it today......

 

[azygous]

The peroxide (hydrogen peroxide) is the same as soap and water - it cleans the wound and disinfects it.

Then you put an antibiotic ointment on the wound, but you need to use something that will keep the wound moist. Blu-kote will only dry out the wound. Blu-kote is great for small scratches and minor wounds, but not for serious larger wounds.

Polysporin, Neosporin - any antibiotic cream that will moisten the wound tissues and keep them moist is what you need to use.

I already told you to do this two times a day - first thing in the morning and last thing at night before you put the chicks to bed.

As for separating the chick from the others, sometimes that is necessary if the others pester the wound and make it worse. I tried separating my injured chick, but it was too traumatic for her and she wanted so badly to be with the others, I finally let her rejoin them. To my surprise, they got used to the goop on her head, and after tasting it a bit right after I treated her each morning, they ignored it the rest of the time. This is why you do the second treatment right before bedtime - so it remains undisturbed for the ten hours at night. And most healing takes place during the night, so this evening treatment is most important to do, no matter how busy you get.

You probably should print these instructions out so you can refer to them as long as you remain confused. As your chick heals, all this stuff will start to make sense to you.