my hen is injured

[PamelaCarroll]

I have a hen that has a raw spot right around her wing. I don't know if she is being pecked or if a rooster got her but it looks bad. I washed it off with sterile water and sprayed solarcaine on it last night. I also put her in a kennel by herself. What do I need to do. I have creams such as neosporin. Will that help. I have 6 chickens and they have been together all their life so I don't know why they would be messing with her. Thanks for some advice in advance.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Even in flocks that have been together for years there can be dustups now and then or attempted shake-ups of the pecking order, etc that can lead to occasional wounds occurring. Another possibility is the bird may have picked at herself (have you checked for external parasites that might lead to her picking?), she may have somehow injured herself leading to her or the other birds picking at the area, etc. How large is the area in question? What condition is the flesh that is now exposed -- is it just bare or is it bare and open?
Once an area is exposed, it can invite picking, especially when the flesh is broken - so isolation is sometimes necessary for the sake of the bird, but isolation can also lead to re-integration issues later when you put the bird back into the flock landing them right back in the same condition.
One concern in reading your post is the use of solarcaine -- generally it is advised to avoid "caine"s in dealing with poultry. I would not reapply that and would not use it on the birds in the future.
Whenever possible it I best to keep the bird in the flock -- the use of "cover" such as blu-kote, etc can help to disguise an exposed area that may attract picking by other birds in the flock and allow for not isolating the effected bird. However, if the area is inviting picking isolation is needed until the area is healed to the point of no longer being attractive to the other birds. If you are readily available to monitor things a trial of using the cover method is more advisable than if you won't be able to keep an eye on things and remove her if things get out of hand.
Chickens are very good at healing themselves - what she really needs is to have the support from you in the form of a clean, safe environment in which to do so and the support of her body in hydration and nutrition to repair itself.

 

[Yemimah]

I will echo the same advice . I have had roosters who had very sharp dew claws and when my hens moulted they had some exposed skin and I must have had 5-6 birds with a hole in their side. I checked for infection and irrigated it with peroxide. Then I sponged off the moisture with a clean sterile rag to make sure the wound was dry. Then I applied the blue coat daily after this. At some point the hen picked off the scab but I think she knew to do it instinctively because she only did it once. I also isolated her. But you may want to look at your rooster and trim back the toe nail of that dew claw or get a vet to if you do not have experience. You also may want to consider over crowding where ever they are living. A pecking block can entertain them. They can be a bit like children... liking to play and getting bored or squabbling. www.meyerhatchery.com sells saddles for injured chickens to place over their back to prevent reinjury.