One of our Buff Brahma chickens (almost a year old) has an alarming flesh wound behind her left leg. She's acting fine and doesn't have any symptoms of being ill. We happened to notice our two other Buff Brahmas also have a similar large scab (much healthier looking) in the same exact spot (pictures of these two birds are attached too--see the less gruesome pictures). I thought at first that a predator must have tried to get her through our fenced in run, but once I saw that the other two chickens, of the same breed, had the same exact issue, I ruled out the predator theory.
When I happened to notice it yesterday (see the more gruesome picture) she was acting very normal and is still very perky. She was keeping up with the rest of the flock and did not appear to be in any sort of pain. The area was completely dried. There aren’t any signs of mites. There wasn't any oozing spots or bad smells. The feathers are completely gone. There aren’t any signs of pin feathers either. There is one flap of skin that is still "alive" and looks healthy, but it is slightly detached and very movable (I do not know if this is normal).
She is eating and drinking very normally. Her poop is normal. She even laid an egg today.
Treatment so far: When I first discovered it yesterday, I tried to take a wet cloth to clean it up. She displayed some signs of that being a little painful. I realized it wasn't enough nor doing much, so then I soaked her in a warm Epsom salt bath and tried to lightly dab at the area to get it mostly cleaned. Next, I sprayed Blue Kote on the area. After that dried I put some Dr. Naylor Udder Balm (Yes, I recognize she is not a cow and does not have an udder, but it is an antiseptic ointment that inhibits bacterial growth and allows for clean healing. I figured it was worth a shot. It's worked great on plenty of other animal and human wounds over the years).
She's been inside and in a dog crate since yesterday morning. She is starting to get antsy (which is a good sign that she's still feeling well). I would like to be able to put her back with the flock, but I don't want other chickens to pick at the area and I don't want it to get infected. Their run is very muddy currently, but during the day the flock is moved out to a pasture in moveable coops.
Has anyone else experienced something like this? I find it extremely odd that it’s only affecting the Brahmas. The rest of the flock, which consist of a variety of other breeds, doesn’t show any of these wounds.
When I happened to notice it yesterday (see the more gruesome picture) she was acting very normal and is still very perky. She was keeping up with the rest of the flock and did not appear to be in any sort of pain. The area was completely dried. There aren’t any signs of mites. There wasn't any oozing spots or bad smells. The feathers are completely gone. There aren’t any signs of pin feathers either. There is one flap of skin that is still "alive" and looks healthy, but it is slightly detached and very movable (I do not know if this is normal).
She is eating and drinking very normally. Her poop is normal. She even laid an egg today.
Treatment so far: When I first discovered it yesterday, I tried to take a wet cloth to clean it up. She displayed some signs of that being a little painful. I realized it wasn't enough nor doing much, so then I soaked her in a warm Epsom salt bath and tried to lightly dab at the area to get it mostly cleaned. Next, I sprayed Blue Kote on the area. After that dried I put some Dr. Naylor Udder Balm (Yes, I recognize she is not a cow and does not have an udder, but it is an antiseptic ointment that inhibits bacterial growth and allows for clean healing. I figured it was worth a shot. It's worked great on plenty of other animal and human wounds over the years).
She's been inside and in a dog crate since yesterday morning. She is starting to get antsy (which is a good sign that she's still feeling well). I would like to be able to put her back with the flock, but I don't want other chickens to pick at the area and I don't want it to get infected. Their run is very muddy currently, but during the day the flock is moved out to a pasture in moveable coops.
Has anyone else experienced something like this? I find it extremely odd that it’s only affecting the Brahmas. The rest of the flock, which consist of a variety of other breeds, doesn’t show any of these wounds.
