Picked chick, bloody rear end

[Country Gal]

I went to feed the chicks this morning... they are about a week old now. I noticed right away that they were all picking at one of my buff orpingtons and her rear end was all bloody.

I separated her from the rest of the flock - she is now in a small box with food and water in my bathroom.

How long should I wait before putting her back with the flock? Is there anything else I need to do for her other than get her cleaned up???

TIA for your help...

 

[Saltiena]

she is probably low on the peking order

maybe they need fresh water, or more space, or they might not like the food, therefore they will take out there anger on her, check for those things, fix them if needed and then maybe put somthing on her rear that tastes bad to make them not want to peck her, hope this helps

 

[Country Gal]

What should I put on her? Should I buy something special or will a dab of Tobasco sauce do the trick?

 

[justusnak]

It could be a few things. Are they crowded? Crowding can lead to picking. Maybe she had poopy but, and they saw it as something to peck at?
Seperating her is a good idea. You can put neosporin on her little bum...keep it clean..and I would keep her in the house for a few days at least. You can also go to the local TSC, or maybe even a vet..and get Bluecoat. Its a would dressing...blue...spray it on her little bum.
Are you useing a white light? Might want to switch to red. It helps them not "sparkle" Chicks like to peck sparkly things..like eyes. Good luck, and keep us updated!

 

[eggchel]

Keep the chick separated until she is healed or the other chicks may peck her to death.

 

[Country Gal]

Current update - the pecked chick seems to be healing. She is very perky and is really enjoying the mirror that I put in her "quarantine" box with her.

My concern at this point is that she doesn't appear to be eating or drinking. How do I get her to start eating again?

And how do I know when she is healed up enough to go back with the rest of the flock? I was thinking about putting her back this weekend, but maybe it's too soon?

Thanks!

 

[justusnak]

I would get some blue coat..and spray her bum before you put her back in there. just to be sure they dont see the red as an invitation to peck. Once you put her in there....give them treats...during all the frenzy, they wont even notice the "newbie"
Good luck..hope all works out for you. Oh...have you tried hand feeding her some boiled egg? Mine love it!

 

[Country Gal]

I'll definitely try the boiled egg tonight when I get home! Thanks!

 

[Country Gal]

I tried the boiled egg last night, she was none too impressed. I ended up taking it and giving it to the other chicks - they went crazy for it.

I did try mashing her food with water and feeding it with an eye dropper. She enjoyed that, and I did notice afterwards that she pecked at her food and water briefly.

I also put the blue stuff on her... I couldn't find "Blue Coat" at TSC, but I did find "Blue Lotion," which is more of a royal purple! She's very attractive with her yellow feathers and purple butt!

I'm going to try to reintroduce her to the rest of the flock this weekend and see what happens... if they start pecking her again, I don't know what to do!