This isn't good! Help!🚨⚠

Feb 28, 2020
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Australia, QLD
My sister came into my room with one of my Belgian bantams - Sugar, in her arms. Sugar's face was covered in blood! I panicked: "What on earth happened?!" Turns out my sister found her in the run, hurt. We took Sugar to the laundry and first cleaned her feathers around her face, as they were stained with blood - we couldn't clean them 'back to normal' though. We needed to get to the injury. A gash, on the left side of her comb, about a cm long, a little bit deep. Luckily, it clotted, so she wasn't going to bleed to death. I had chicken blood on my arms trying to clean around the wound. I decided to get Sugar some cold plain yogurt to up her spirits and energy. She loved the yogurt! She had a sip of water in the laundry too. After enough cleaning we took her and isolated her with her BFF 'Spice' - I didn't want her to be scared all by herself. They are in a small chicken coop with a mini run attached. I have given them water - they both had a decent amount, and seed - again, had some. I looked around. And, found out what happened: Sugar needed to lay but Tango had already occupied one of the laying spots. Tango lashed out and hurt Sugar (evidence was a bit of blood on her beak). I am devastated. Any advice greatly appreciated! Please help!:hmm

Edit: Sugar tries to scratch it every now and then - must be really painful.:(
 
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Any injury to the comb will bleed alot ... Good that it clotted & you cleaned it up. You could put some antibiotic on it (Neosporin without the pain relief) or if you can get some Blu Kote. See that you're in Australia, check with your feed store as to what's available.
Hopefully her scratching will not open in up again, good that she's separated from the flock. Its possible that she hurt herself (wire or some object), the other hen pecked at it. How many in your flock? How many nest boxes? Is Tango normally aggressive? I've never had hens "fight" over a nest box, they just pile in there together.

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Any injury to the comb will bleed alot ... Good that it clotted & you cleaned it up. You could put some antibiotic on it (Neosporin without the pain relief) or if you can get some Blu Kote. See that you're in Australia, check with your feed store as to what's available.
Hopefully her scratching will not open in up again, good that she's separated from the flock. Its possible that she hurt herself (wire or some object), the other hen pecked at it. How many in your flock? How many nest boxes? Is Tango normally aggressive? I've never had hens "fight" over a nest box, they just pile in there together.

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I will check with my local feed store thanks.

  • Is it possible that she hurt herself? - I don't think so, there was evidence on only Tango's beak, I checked the others. I believe she was in the coop when it happened.
  • How many in my flock? 9. Though only 4 were in the run at the time of the injury. The others were out and about.
  • How many nest boxes? There is one big nest box in the coop (Tango was in that), and a laying spot in the corner. Though, being let out of the run to roam free everyday, I'll find eggs everywhere.
  • Is Tango normally aggressive? - No, she is above the pecking order with Sugar though. She, you know, give her a peck to say bugger off every now and then, but not like this!
Thank you for your advice and questions @ChickNanny13
 
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My sister let the 2 out of isolating:hmm. Don't know why...maybe because it is hot here and they weren't liking being in a small area in the heat
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. I hope this doesn't effect them badly though. Hoping little Sugar doesn't go getting herself dirty, I checked her - she has no dirt so far. Advice? Should I put her back or just keep her out. :confused:
 

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