two rhode island reds with injuries???

[AdamsFamily4]

We have two adult rhode island red hens with similar injuries. They each have a large wound with no skin covering it. One of them appears to be showing exposed bone. The wounds were dry yesterday, but one of them was picked on and started bleeding today. We put blue kote on them yesterday but kept them with our other two barred rocks. Once I saw the bleeding, I separated the hens today.

We don't know how this happened. We do not own a rooster. Their pen does not look as if an animal made its way into the pen. We have raccoons that visit our backyard, so one may have reached through the chicken wire and got them both, but the chicken wire does not look disturbed. Our dogs have not gotten them. We do have mice in our yard.

Is it possible that we have mites that caused the chickens to pull out their feathers? Maybe they broke the skin and the other chickens picked at it? The wounds are on similar parts of their bodies, just on opposite sides of each other. If they roosted together, the wounds would be touching each other.

Is it possible that we have a bacterial/fungal problem?

My pictures are not great. The wounds look like large 4cm holes with no skin, very little muscle, and some exposed bone. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[OnceInALifeTime]

Is there a way you could get more pic's? looks like maybe they are being picked at

 

[AdamsFamily4]

My husband is on his way home. I will have him help hold the chickens so I can get better photos. I hope to be able to upload the photos within the next half hour. Thank you!

 

[AdamsFamily4]

 

[AdamsFamily4]

We sprayed them with Blue Kote yesterday. My husband just put triple antibacterial medicine on them today. My dd said she observed another chicken pecking the one pictured above. Both chickens are eating and drinking normally, although my dh thinks the one bleeding feels lighter now. The wound that is bleeding seems to have grown from yesterday, but that could be just from pecking at it. The wounds are on the back upper thigh where the hipbone is. The hipbone seems to be exposed on both chickens.

Is there a possibility that this is from a bacterial or fungal infection? These chickens were entered into our county fair two weeks ago. They were there in completely separate cages for 5 days. We did not notice any wounds on them before nor after the fair. They were medicated with a mild antibiotic in their water while at the fair. Our two barred rocks were in the fair with them, and they have no wounds. These four chickens have been kept in a separate pen from the rest of our flock, which consists of 7 other hens of various breeds.

Thanks!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Blue kote and cut-and-heal work best

 

[OnceInALifeTime]

Vetracin products are all amazing

 

[AdamsFamily4]

Thanks for the help. We purchased Vetracin and have been using it since Sat. The two injured chickens are back outside, but by themselves. The one that was bleeding seems to pick at itself. Thanks again!

 

[sourland]

Do you have a rooser in with the hens? That looks like damage caused by the toenails or spurs of a large, clumsy, aggressive rooster breeding the hens. If you do have a rooster, I might suggest removing him from the flock until the hens heal. Trimming toenails and spurs of such a rooster sometimes helps, but the surefire cure is to replace him with another rooster.