MY POOR BABY! Is there anything else I can do for her?

[Tiempo]

Last night Relyt, our very favorite girl (pictured in my av on a much better day), was missing at bedtime. We searched and searched including looking in the duck house (IDK how we missed her) but it seems she accidentally got locked in the duck house instead of her coop.

The ducks are fine with her outside, but they are afraid of her in small spaces and they savaged her, they tore almost her whole crest out.

Her head is very swollen and weepy, but she is eating and drinking fine, I've given her some scrambled eggs and some sav-a-chick in her water. I have her in the house, I washed her head gently with a weak iodine/warm water solution and I've put triple antibiotic ointment on it.

Is there anything else I can do? Anything to help reduce the swelling?

Thank you in advance, I know she must be in a lot of pain and I'm heartsick I let this happen, I can't imagine why we didn't see her when we checked the duck house before closing it up. My poor, poor baby

 

[casportpony]

Keep her inside where it's warm and let her warm up and rest, she's probably a little shocky right now. If she keeps eating and drinking, I wouldn't worry too much and the swelling should resolve. Now might be a good time to get a baseline weight on her and weigh her daily. If she starts to lose weight, you'll know right away. It sounds like you're doing all the right stuff, so keep it up!

 

[Tiempo]

Thank you! I just checked on her and she actually looks quite chipper, but her head looks terrible

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

Thank you! I just checked on her and she actually looks quite chipper, but her head looks terrible

I've never experienced an injury like this with any of my chickens, but I've seen posts on this site with injuries like your chicken has, and they've healed well. I agree with casportpony that you're doing the right things. I believe from what I've read of others' experiences that as long as you keep her isolated and she is eating and drinking well, she should be fine. Good luck to you, and don't blame yourself for what happened to her. Chickens have a mind of their own, and sometimes no matter how hard we try things happen that we just can't control.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

That's a shame, with such a pretty bird, and I know y'all feel terrible. But ... no doubt ... this hurts you far more than it does her. They're made differently than we are, and stuff like this hurts us to look at, but most likely doesn't bother her much at all. So, as you clean it several times a day? Don't be aftraid to rub off anything that doesn't belong. You can, for mostly stress, dissolve one baby aspirin into a liter of water, and offer it free choice ... I'm sure it will make you feel better ~'-)

 

[Tiempo]

Thank you, you are so sweet