Please help my barely month old chick!

[PeeppeepXO]

Is a Qtip okay? I just don’t wana hurt her further

 

[MarlaMac]

You really just need to flush the wound. You can put the solution (what ever you are using to clean it - saline is okay, but clorhexidine is better - make sure you mix it according to the label as it usually comes super concentrated). You can gather some of the solution up in a wash cloth and squeeze it gently to let the solution flow over the wound. The target of the solution is to disinfect.

Once that is done, blot it dry and apply the ointment. You want to keep it moist so that it will heal properly. It will heal from the edges in. Do this 2x a day. Once the wound starts to heal, you can stop with the 2x daily wound flushes and just keep the ointment on to keep the wound moist until the skin is healed up.

Good things: she is eating and drinking. Your biggest enemy is shock. Shock leads to lack of eating/drinking which causes accelerated decline. Since she is eating/drinking she is probably over the shock of the attack. Keep an eye out to make sure she continues to eat/drink.

Things to watch out for: flies - don't put her in an environment where flies can lay eggs in her wound. Maggots will eat her from the inside out if they get to her wound. Also, keep a nose out for smell. If the wound starts to stink, you have an infection and will need to get antibiotics for her. Her skin may bruise. Bruises are usually green on chicken skin.

If you can keep her near the flock, her reintegration will be easier. If you have a dog crate that can keep her in and others out that you can move around with the flock integration will be easier. Of course, you can only do this if she is otherwise healthy (not in shock, etc). Also, if she can only be where there is dirt, then keep her away. Dirt, ointment and wounds don't do well together. But if she can sit in the grass while the others peck around and not get to her, then she will enjoy that and that will help to keep her as part of the flock.

Make sure you offer her chick grit along with her food and water. Keeping her in a warm dry space is also crucial.

Chickens are resilient she should heal up quickly. I would double check all the others littles just to be sure no one else got hurt. Hope she powers through like a champ!

 

[PeeppeepXO]

You really just need to flush the wound. You can put the solution (what ever you are using to clean it - saline is okay, but clorhexidine is better - make sure you mix it according to the label as it usually comes super concentrated). You can gather some of the solution up in a wash cloth and squeeze it gently to let the solution flow over the wound. The target of the solution is to disinfect.

Once that is done, blot it dry and apply the ointment. You want to keep it moist so that it will heal properly. It will heal from the edges in. Do this 2x a day. Once the wound starts to heal, you can stop with the 2x daily wound flushes and just keep the ointment on to keep the wound moist until the skin is healed up.

Good things: she is eating and drinking. Your biggest enemy is shock. Shock leads to lack of eating/drinking which causes accelerated decline. Since she is eating/drinking she is probably over the shock of the attack. Keep an eye out to make sure she continues to eat/drink.

Things to watch out for: flies - don't put her in an environment where flies can lay eggs in her wound. Maggots will eat her from the inside out if they get to her wound. Also, keep a nose out for smell. If the wound starts to stink, you have an infection and will need to get antibiotics for her. Her skin may bruise. Bruises are usually green on chicken skin.

If you can keep her near the flock, her reintegration will be easier. If you have a dog crate that can keep her in and others out that you can move around with the flock integration will be easier. Of course, you can only do this if she is otherwise healthy (not in shock, etc). Also, if she can only be where there is dirt, then keep her away. Dirt, ointment and wounds don't do well together. But if she can sit in the grass while the others peck around and not get to her, then she will enjoy that and that will help to keep her as part of the flock.

Make sure you offer her chick grit along with her food and water. Keeping her in a warm dry space is also crucial.

Chickens are resilient she should heal up quickly. I would double check all the others littles just to be sure no one else got hurt. Hope she powers through like a champ!

What ointment? Where do I get it??

 

[MarlaMac]

What ointment? Where do I get it??

Triple antibiotic ointment - you can get it cheap at any store. I think this 2-pack is around $5 at Walmart. Get the plain stuff without pain reliever. Alternately, if you have plain neosporin that works too.