Puss filled, missing tail...UPDATE

[thunderkitty]

I found one of my 5 week old girls today who's bottom looked red so I picked her up. The other birds (or her) had picked away her tail! She doesn't have one anymore. They ate the feathers clean off and she was left with black stubs. Is the black an infection? The whole area is swollen and (yellow) puss filled. I already brought her in and isolated and blu-kote has been applied. I tried putting her in after putting the blu-kote on but it was a no go, they actually cornered her and pecked her again so I got her out FAST. I read somewhere on here that you can give birds raw hamburger to get rid of their urge for blood I guess would this maybe help? I was just wondering if anyone knew about the black tips on the feather stubs, puss, and isolation time needed for her to regrow her tail or at least heal up? Oh and a little more info: I moved them into their coop and they have outdoor access now so they aren't crowded, have heat lamps at night, and good ventilation so these aren't it. I'm currently feeding them Hubbard Tradition Chick Starter, which DOES have animal ingredients...I would post a photo of her but, with the blue bum it doesn't look like much now, I should have taken one before spraying her....

 

[dlhunicorn]

Keep your bird separated...this might be for quite some time...they might (and probably will) keep picking on her. Flush the area copiously (preferably with diluted novalsan or chlorhexidine or other antiseptic ) the abscess indicates infection and if it were me I would consult a vet for systemic antibiotics.

 

[thunderkitty]

I'll try the antiseptic flush, this weekend here, but the vet will have to wait till monday around here but I will for sure call him and tell him what I'm seeing and see if he would call one in, on monday. He's a generally nice vet with decent prices and a variety of expertise but, I'm nervous about the fact we have no avian vets around here who I would know for sure have the necessary knowledge to treat a chicken vs. dogs and cats.

 

[MTchick]

I suspect the "black stubs" are the roots of the feathers, filled with scabby dark blood. You can pull them straight off with a pair of sturdy tweezers or needle nosed pliers in about a week (after the chick is feeling better so that the stress isn't too much) and that will encourage healthy tail regrowth. If you leave the stubs on there, the feathers will take a much longer time to grow back.

One of my birds had some feathers plucked by the other ones and had yucky looking black stubs. I pulled them out immediately with needle nosed pliers and that cut down on the attractiveness of the wound- if you get them very straight and cleanly out, there will be no blood or scabby spots from the removal. The new feathers began to grow in a week or two later. That was on healthy, non-pus covered skin so you little bird might take longer to recover.
-MTchick

 

[dlhunicorn]

This article specifically dealing with blood feathers might help you if you decide not to wait on the vet:
http://p103.ezboard.com/ffeatheredfriendsfrm30.showNextMessage?topicID=14.topic
(The obvious signs of infection concerns me though)

 

[thunderkitty]

So... We got her on antibiotics which she is already done with and I followed the advice about puling out damaged feathers and I am happy to announce her tail is growing back fast and healthy...the only way you'd know she was ever sick is to see her blue bum from the blukote!

So she's happy and back in the coop with her buddies. Anyway, I'll post a pic later if I can get her to stand still!