Scalped baby chick!

[shanadienne]

This chick hatched under a first-time mother (one year of age) in the coop where other hens were around. I do not know if the chick was attacked by the broody or another hen, but I found it like six inches away from her, cold but alive. And with half the skin on its head missing. I figured first priority was get it warm, so I popped it back under the hen. However it seemed inclined to flop its way out from under her (it was a little damp and hadn't learned to walk yet), and she pecked at it a little. I don't know whether she was curious or if she was rejecting the chick but since it was an open wound I brought the chick inside once it wasn't actually cold. I removed a tiny bit of shell stuck to the wound, used a cotton ball with alcohol to clean it, and applied a thin layer of Neosporin (well, generic equivalent). He was very wriggly and active throughout and I put him in my little Brinsea incubator so I could watch him for the next little while.

He doesn't seem to give a crap about his injury and is on track to walking around like normal.

I'm mostly starting this thread in case anyone has advice. I'm confident in my ability to care for him if I keep him indoors, but I might give him back to his mother, or to one of the two other hens who are hatching chicks today. Assuming they will accept him.

Anyway, here's a photo of him, brighter-eyed and bushier-tailed than me in the morning.

 

[mobius]

I am sure other people may respond here with more knowledge than I have, but I wouldn't give him back til he is healed up, as the hens may take him out for being injured. It is likely. Keep him warm (95F for first week), make an
indoor brooder for him. Clean his wound with saline solution squirted on the wound, dry him and use the triple antibiotic cream you have been using, and see if you can do that twice a day. Electrolytes would likely help for a couple of days. Good luck!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

They are tough little buggers! It looks like he is not bleeding, so I would carefully spray him with some Blu-kote and give him back to Mama. This just depends on how he is. It sounds like he is in good shape otherwise, so it's a judgment call. I wonder if he got it pulled off when he was emerging from the egg.

Please keep us posted. He should have a silly name like Skinhead or Peels or something now.

 

[mobius]

Blu-kote a great idea!

 

[shanadienne]

I was thinking plain old "Baldy" tbh.

Is it safe to apply blu-kote on top of the antibiotic?

 

[sylviethecochin]

I'm pretty sure Blue-kote's active ingredient is rubbing alcohol. It should be fine to put on top on the antibiotic. We've never had any trouble doing that.

 

[shanadienne]

So, my bottle of blu-kote was probably not completely closed and I couldn't find gloves... At least I'll discover whether blu-kote helps eczema.

But the chick is purple where it should be and not purple where it doesn't need to be (well, it may have gotten some eye shadow). I put it back under its mom and I'll check on it in like half an hour. He was mostly fluffy and almost walking by himself by the time I put him back outside.

 

[abraga]

Personally...i wouldn't put him back with the mama w/a wound like that.especially with other hens around. Thats a good sized wound. Chickens are notorious for pecking another chicken to death when they see open wounds. My hens will catch baby birds and eat them if they are defenseless. I think it will become lunch.sorrry to be so graffic.

 

[shanadienne]

Well, you're right, chickens can be absolutely savage. But with the blu-kote I think he has a decent chance to be accepted.
Right now the mother is still in "lockdown," so he's safe from other hens.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I'm sure this doesn even need saying, but here goes anyways. Keep a close eye on the little guy, checking frequently.

Just as an interesting point, I clicked on this thread because I had a chick get "scalped" a few days ago. My chick is much older, but was acting fine. I noticed this blob hanging from her neck, and upon closer inspection, it was a slice of skin with feathers and all attached! It was just dangling by a little piece of skin. I snipped it off and blukoted. So far so good! But my chick was much older and independent. I will be curious to see if she ever gets feathers back on her neck in the future.