repair/covering wing wound

[Lewisusa1]

I am hoping you guys can help me out here. I have a Buff Orpington hen that is being attacked by the rest of the flock. I have 3 more Buffs and 2 Rhode Island Reds. They have almost completely destroyed her left wing. All the meat is gone at the shoulder. I have been spraying it with the purple wound spray and must keep her in a seperate pen at night and in the mornings.(I work graveyard) I am looking for a way to cover the wound either with some sort of packing/spray bandage that will keep it away from the other birds. I am at my wits end with this and would really hate to get rid of her, as she would most likely be destroyed. I can post some pictures if that would help, but would appreciate some tips on doing that as I have not posted any pictures here yet. My flock is going on 2.5 years old.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Sincerely,

Chris

 

[Judy]

I suppose you could try something like Neosporin and a little gauze, then vet wrap all the way around her body to hold it in place. She may be in as much danger from maggots getting in the wound as she is from the other chickens. I'm afraid I would either bring her indoors or leave her in the other pen 24/7 til she healed. I'd be worried about reintroducing her at that point, though. Tough problem! I'm sorry you are going through this.

 

[CMV]

Try a duct tape dressing on the wing. They have been pretty effective for a lot of folks here having picking problems. The duct tape will stick to the feathers, but not the skin. It will fall off on its own after a few weeks, but hopefully by then the worst of the damage will be healed.

You need to figure out why the flock has targeted this bird. Is she the lowest on the pecking order? Are they too crowded? Are they bored? Are any other birds being picked on? Are they getting enough protein in their diet? The reasons for this awful behavior are numerous, but it is best to address the root of the problem to prevent it from becoming a bad habit.

I recently culled my worst feather picker because she had started drawing blood on some of her victims. Once blood is drawn the wounded bird can potentially be cannibalized by the flock. The sight of blood will make the whole flock go into a picking frenzy. A terrible way to go for the bird, and pretty gruesome to discover. I would be keeping an eye on the flock to discover if the majority of the damage is being done by one or multiple birds. You may decide it is necessary to remove the worst offender for a few weeks (or permanently as I did) to give the victim a chance to heal and settle.

I hope this helps. Good luck.