New here- Question about putting chicken back in coop after comb injury.

[jleigh333]

Hi there! I'm new here and have a question. We have a small coop and three chickens- 2 RIR and 1 BSL. One of our RIR's recently ripped the back of her comb somehow. I'm not sure if it was one of the other chickens or if she hurt it some other way. Although, I did see the BSL pecking at it right before I removed her from the coop. It was partially detached so I went ahead and snipped the loose piece off (night before last). I've been treating it with vetericyn and she seems to be healing great. She even laid her first egg yesterday and another today! She is getting really stir crazy in the crate that we have her in right now. Does the wound need to be completely healed before we put her back in the coop? It's a small wound, pea sized, and just looks like a scab now. I just wanted advice on what to do. I definitely don't want her to be a target for the other two but she's miserable in the crate. Any suggestions?

Jess

 

[Judy]

I'd try putting her back, but keep an eye on her. I keep a bottle of BluKote for things like this. The color masks the wound so they are less likely to peck it. If she's been isolated for a few days, they will probably treat her like a new chicken and she will be at the bottom of the pecking order.

 

[jleigh333]

Yes, I have heard about BluKote but have never used it. I may go pick some of that up. I just hope our BSL doesn't pick on her. She' seems to be on the aggressive side. My RIR's are pretty docile. Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it!