Torn comb, bleeding a lot. How do I treat!??

[Birdie Girl]

My daughter's beloved 6 month old Buff Orpington got injured somehow this evening. Her comb has about a 1/2 inch tear (at the back of the comb) and is bleeding quite a bit. She's behaving normally , but looks just awful. Any suggestions on how to treat this? I haven't done a thing yet. I was afraid to wash it off since it's going down in the 30's tonight and don't want her to be all wet. Should we wash the wound and surrounding area (it's getting pretty matted) and spray antibiotics on it or just leave it be? What about separating her from our 3 other hens. So far, they're leaving her alone & everyone's just acting normally. Any suggestions are most appreciated, Thank you!

 

[Miss Lydia]

they do bleed alot, if you have quick stop use it if not try flour to stop the bleeding then wash gently with some soapy water making sure to rinse, dry gently then apply blue-kote or neosporin or betadine she should heal fine. just watch the other chickens don't start pecking at it or she'll really be in trouble.

just make sure whatever you use doesn't have pain relief that ends in caine.

 

[ladybug99]

My rooster ripped his comb on the fence one day as he was flogging me (karma I say) but once it stopped bleeding I put on some neosporin for a few days and he has healed up very nicely..He is still flogging me but not running himself into the fence any more. Keep it as clean as you can. He is not very friendly so He was not the best patient but I found if I went into the coop with a flash light when it got dark he would let me do anything to him.

 

[purpletree23]

Do what miss lydia and lady bug said to do and add blood stop powder to your farm store shopping list. While you're there get a bottle or spray can of Blu-kote.

 

[Birdie Girl]

Thank you so much for the advice! I went into the coop with a flashlight after it got dark as you suggested and put Neosporin on the injury. MUCH easier to care for her that way. It's stopped actively bleeding and the other hens are still treating her normally, but there's some icky congealed bloody globs on the wall next to her...like she maybe shook her head and they flew off. Poor girl just looks a fright. Wish I could figure out how the injury happened. Our coop is enclosed in a 20 x 10 foot pen with 10 foot high deer netting fencing (pretty predator proof I think).

Again, REALLY appreciate the advice. Hope to have a happy update on her recovery in a few days. Thank you!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you think one of the other hens could have done this, they can be pretty nasty to each other? what you need to watch for mostly is them pecking at her and making this much worse. Thats where blue-kote comes in it helps to heal and diaguise at the same time.

 

[Birdie Girl]

I guess they could have, but they're usually a pretty docile lot. It's just the 4 of them and they're so tame. My kids carry them around like babies

. Of course I don't have any Blue Kote and was JUST at Tractor Supply today. Guess I'll be heading back tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll be watching them super closely for any signs of picking on her. Would it be silly to bring her inside for a day or so to more closely care for her? Overreacting, I'm sure. But my daughters other beloved BO got killed by a neighbor's dog recently and I SO just want this one to be ok.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Would not be a bad idea at all, the only proiblem you might run into is when you put her back . Do you know where she is in the pecking order? sometimes that can cause a problem. but if they started to peck on her you'd have to separate her anyway. you know your girls better than anyone else.

 

[kla37]

Maybe you could close off a little corner of the run? Or put a big dog crate in there so the others can still see her but not pick her wound.

 

[Birdie Girl]

Glad to report that our injured girl is recovering beautifully. Hasn't even missed a day of laying. The other hens are treating her normally & despite a now less than supermodel worthy comb

she should be back to normal soon. Bonus: I am much wiser now on what to do in any future incidents of peril! Thank you all again for all of your suggestions and support!