Torn ear lobe

[Jonessa]

First aid help, please! One of my GLWs has been picked on today, and both of her ear lobes are torn. One is okay, but the other has a good sized flap hanging away. What should I do? If I clean it up and sort of stick the flap back, will it heal okay?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Jonessa I'm sorry to hear about your hen.

Can you post some photos of the damage?

Glad that one side is o.k. The other, if it's hanging, depending on what it looks like, it may be better to cut it off (the hanging part). Usually something like a wattle, comb or earlobe, if it's torn, won't go back together.

For the wounds, flush with saline and apply a triple antibiotic ointment or vetericyn. Since the wounds are from being picked on, it would be a good idea to separate her or cage her in the coop where the other's can't get at her.

Do you know why she was picked on - has she been sick or shown any signs of illness? I would monitor her closely for a few days. Being pecked around the head, she may suffer a little shock, so see that she is drinking and eating well.

 

[Alaskan]

I agree with the above post. .. but....

depending on the damage, you should be able to pat it back into place and it will heal perfectly fine.

Just rinse it well to clean... then put it back together.

Super glue will hold it together if you can get the edges dry enough.

I got the wattle on a rooster to grow perfectly back together. The front layer had been pulled off.. I patted it back in place and didn't even have to glue it down.

No, I did not use any antibiotic ointments.

 

[Jonessa]

Hi @Jonessa I'm sorry to hear about your hen.

Can you post some photos of the damage?

Glad that one side is o.k. The other, if it's hanging, depending on what it looks like, it may be better to cut it off (the hanging part). Usually something like a wattle, comb or earlobe, if it's torn, won't go back together.

For the wounds, flush with saline and apply a triple antibiotic ointment or vetericyn. Since the wounds are from being picked on, it would be a good idea to separate her or cage her in the coop where the other's can't get at her.

Do you know why she was picked on - has she been sick or shown any signs of illness? I would monitor her closely for a few days. Being pecked around the head, she may suffer a little shock, so see that she is drinking and eating well.

Thanks so much for your advice! I can certainly post a picture - I'll get one tomorrow.

I did consider cutting the flap off, but wasn't sure so I chickened out I cleaned up the wounds, and then applied a paste of arrowroot powder and water - it stopped the last weeping of blood, and actually acted a bit like glue so that I was able to stick the flap back into place. Then I coated it all with a mixture of coconut oil and oregano oil. Since it was almost dark and everyone was roosting by the time I was done doctoring her up, I put her back in the coop with the others. I'll see how she's doing tomorrow morning and probably separate her then.

Other than coming out of a molt, she seems totally normal. Maybe it's just a boredom thing? They've been stuck in their run since the first snowfall - they absolutely refuse to come out in the snow! I'll keep an eye on her for signs of stress or shock, thanks for mentioning that.

 

[Jonessa]

Okay, I managed to get a couple of pictures! As you can see, the flap didn't stay stuck down - late this afternoon it came off again, maybe she scratched at it or something. The whole area is a bit swollen. I made a mix of honey and blue food colouring as a homemade blu-kote and applied it first thing this morning (that's what most of the dark blotches are, dried blue honey), but it actually made the other chickens way more interested, so I had to separate her after all. Other than the wounds, she's totally fine: eating, drinking, etc.
I think the hope of getting the flap stuck back on at this point is long gone... so the question now is what should I do? Cut it off? Or leave it? And if I leave it, will she end up with a weird ear lobe, or will the flap die and fall off eventually? I think I would prefer to just cut it off, as I think it will heal better that way - I'm just worried about how much it might bleed.

 

[micstrachan]

This exact same thing happened to one of my pullets last summer. The hanging flap turned black and fell off within a few days. All I did was apply triple antibiotic ointment, but if you can wash it first, that would be better.

 

[micstrachan]

Oh, and today I can’t even tell which earlobe it was!

 

[Jonessa]

Oh, and today I can’t even tell which earlobe it was!

That's encouraging! Perhaps I will leave it, then, at least for now, and just keep it clean (I did wash it right away when it happened, it just looks dirty because of the blue honey, lol!). I suppose if it doesn't fall off, I could always trim it off later if it becomes a problem.

 

[SimplyLivinthatFarmLife]

Oh no...poor girl. Just wonder why she was targeted to begin with.

 

[Jonessa]

Oh no...poor girl. Just wonder why she was targeted to begin with.

A few just started laying again in the last few days... and, of course, they all want to use the same nesting box, even though I have three for my 6 girls! I wonder if she's ready to lay again and there was a fight about the box? She seems really healthy, so I'm not sure what to think!