Scalped chick!

[mirandalola]

My chicks are about 6 weeks old now and have been living in the coop for a week. Today I went outside and one chick had blood on the back of her neck. When I picked her up and inspected, I saw that the entire back of her neck has been completely skinned! From the back of her head clear down to the beginning of her back!

I've separated her from the rest of the chicks. I disinfected the wound, applied neosporin, and wrapped it the best I could with gauze and wound tape. She has a hard time walking for some reason, I suppose that the wrapping on her neck throws her balance off. She didn't have any trouble walking before I wrapped her wound.

I'm seeing conflicting advice on wrapping vs. leaving open; since this wound is large and flat I thought it would be best to wrap, but I'm unsure I didn't such a good job at it. Can anyone show me how to wrap a chick's neck?

Any other advice?

 

[Eggcessive]

A bandage might be awkward, but may be necessary if you keep her with the others. They will peck at a red wound. You could get some gauze wrap such as kerlix from the drug store or Walmart first aid aisle. A small telfa pad underneath would keep the skin from sticking to the gauze. But is she is separated, all that is necessary is the Neosporin ointment twice a day. If it is not very deep, you could also use some BluKote spray over the Neosporin ointment, which would color the wound to help prevent pecking. Just make sure that they don't peck that. I have done that with polish pullets who have been scalped. Was she attacked by an older bird or by a predator. Her injury may have hurt her legs or back, so make sure that she can reach food and water.

 

[mirandalola]

Thank you. I'll remove the wrap tonight and re-coat with neosporin. I'm keeping her inside in a little kennel until she's healed.

 

[azygous]

I wrote up my experience with a scalped chick I cared for and was very successful in healing without infection. She was able to remain with her mates while she healed. The link is down below this post where you see the block of articles by azygous.

The secret to healing a scalp wound like this is to clean it twice daily and keep it moist so new tissue can grow. There are pictures showing what you can expect. There is no need to bandage the wound as long as you clean it so bacteria can't take hold.

The supplies include Vetericyn, Blu-kote , and Polysporin. I used Silvadene with my chick since I had some leftover from when I was recovering from bad burns. But any antibiotic ointment will work fine to keep the wound moist.

 

[mirandalola]

Thank you azygous!