My Houdan pullet has been having some problems with her topknot freezing from getting dipped in their heated waterbowl.
I cut it shorter to try to fix this, but it only helped a little bit and now the other 4 (non-Houdans) are picking at her since they can see her pink scalp through the frozen feathers.
She is eating & drinking and not acting differently than normal, but it cannot feel good to have that scalp exposed.
I've put Blu-Kote on her to stop them, but wondered if there's anything else I can do for her poor little bald head.
Temps here have been brutal - in the low teens & colder at night so I've been keeping them in their coop for the last 3 days.
When I left the door to the yard open they mostly stayed in anyhow - they are NOT happy about snow in place of grass.
(I've put some flakes of hay out in the yard for them to stand on & pick at)
It is supposed to "warm up" to the 20s this week, so I'll be opening the coop to the yard - they can always get inside & sheltered if they want. Water & food are inside.
As a last resort I thought of taking her indoors to get the topknot completely clean & dry and then putting something topical - like Bacitracin - on to help it heal.
Any suggestions?
I cut it shorter to try to fix this, but it only helped a little bit and now the other 4 (non-Houdans) are picking at her since they can see her pink scalp through the frozen feathers.
She is eating & drinking and not acting differently than normal, but it cannot feel good to have that scalp exposed.
I've put Blu-Kote on her to stop them, but wondered if there's anything else I can do for her poor little bald head.
Temps here have been brutal - in the low teens & colder at night so I've been keeping them in their coop for the last 3 days.
When I left the door to the yard open they mostly stayed in anyhow - they are NOT happy about snow in place of grass.
(I've put some flakes of hay out in the yard for them to stand on & pick at)
It is supposed to "warm up" to the 20s this week, so I'll be opening the coop to the yard - they can always get inside & sheltered if they want. Water & food are inside.
As a last resort I thought of taking her indoors to get the topknot completely clean & dry and then putting something topical - like Bacitracin - on to help it heal.
Any suggestions?
