So, I have 3 (once 4...RIP Peggy)adult hens. I got them as adults, because I am sensitive and know that if I raised chicks and some died, I would be heartbroken.
Last week Monday (7 days ago) I was feeding a friend's flock while she was on vacation. She had a hen that pecked all its babies except one. It had mild injuries, she had it in the house in a cage to see how it fared over the next day or so (she is not as attached to them and would've probably culled it if it didn't perk up).
Of course I found another baby chick. This one had a big (I would say nickel sized, maybe a little bigger) wound on its lower back, between wing and butt area. I didn't know what to do, called friend who told me to put it inside with the other one. I didn't think it was warm enough in the house (these were fresh chicks) so she gave me the ok to take them home with me...now they're mine. It's been a week. They're appropriately warmed, housed, fed. I'm already planning to add on to and divide my current coop/run as I don't think my 3 old lady hens will accept them.
I have put aquaphor (well, off brand baby ointment-no painkiller) and neosporin (once again, off brand no painkiller) on it regularly to keep it moist. The scab is now thick, raided, and hard. It is a dark red color, like old red dried blood....like an old scab. It has a line of black around the edge, it doesn't appear to be necrosis-it seems like just the flaked dry blood scabby old skin (when I found her the scab was already starting so it never got a deep clean or anything as I was scared to reopen the wound). Not deep infection, but I am not an expert. It isn't squishy like it's filled with anything or poppable, but may have a small amount of drainage coming from under it. Hard to tell with the ointment.
The chick is eating, drinking, moving like a champ. Her pal occasionally pecks her, but not excessively (I have a camera in the makeshift brooder so I can monitor them haha). The wounds never actively bled any significant amount past the 1st day.
I thought I would keep on with what I was doing and hope the scab would heal and fall off, but today my husband (who isn't really involved in this) saw the wound and said "oh wow that looks bad) and I panicked. To be fair, it did look super gooey as I had JUST applied the nightly ointment.
I am getting vetericyn tomorrow (I had some but now I can't find it of course). I have saline I could flush it with. I am hesitant to pick the scab, it seems to cause her pain when I mess with it too much (applying ointment she's OK with, but when I GENTLY tried to see if it would lift up, she didn't like that).
I say she but have no idea if it's a hen or rooster. I'd say she's 7-10 days old.
I've never had chicks. I could attach a picture but I am honestly afraid people will be mad that I didnt treat it right and now it's too bad. I honestly hadn't expected her to survive...I just figured she'd at least die in peace/relative comfort vs being pecked to death. Here we are a week later.
I might be able to get her to a vet in the area (I am rural and there is a clinic that does pigs and horses and goats, they might help). I am so upset because I am now attached to the sweet thing. I hope since she's still eating and drinking and moving normally, that she can still be saved.
Do I pull the scab off and start from scratch with wound care? Leave it be a little longer? I read about one person using silvadene to heal a chicks wound, I could try to get some of that. I will do what needs to be done...but I dont know what that is or if I am too late.
Last week Monday (7 days ago) I was feeding a friend's flock while she was on vacation. She had a hen that pecked all its babies except one. It had mild injuries, she had it in the house in a cage to see how it fared over the next day or so (she is not as attached to them and would've probably culled it if it didn't perk up).
Of course I found another baby chick. This one had a big (I would say nickel sized, maybe a little bigger) wound on its lower back, between wing and butt area. I didn't know what to do, called friend who told me to put it inside with the other one. I didn't think it was warm enough in the house (these were fresh chicks) so she gave me the ok to take them home with me...now they're mine. It's been a week. They're appropriately warmed, housed, fed. I'm already planning to add on to and divide my current coop/run as I don't think my 3 old lady hens will accept them.
I have put aquaphor (well, off brand baby ointment-no painkiller) and neosporin (once again, off brand no painkiller) on it regularly to keep it moist. The scab is now thick, raided, and hard. It is a dark red color, like old red dried blood....like an old scab. It has a line of black around the edge, it doesn't appear to be necrosis-it seems like just the flaked dry blood scabby old skin (when I found her the scab was already starting so it never got a deep clean or anything as I was scared to reopen the wound). Not deep infection, but I am not an expert. It isn't squishy like it's filled with anything or poppable, but may have a small amount of drainage coming from under it. Hard to tell with the ointment.
The chick is eating, drinking, moving like a champ. Her pal occasionally pecks her, but not excessively (I have a camera in the makeshift brooder so I can monitor them haha). The wounds never actively bled any significant amount past the 1st day.
I thought I would keep on with what I was doing and hope the scab would heal and fall off, but today my husband (who isn't really involved in this) saw the wound and said "oh wow that looks bad) and I panicked. To be fair, it did look super gooey as I had JUST applied the nightly ointment.
I am getting vetericyn tomorrow (I had some but now I can't find it of course). I have saline I could flush it with. I am hesitant to pick the scab, it seems to cause her pain when I mess with it too much (applying ointment she's OK with, but when I GENTLY tried to see if it would lift up, she didn't like that).
I say she but have no idea if it's a hen or rooster. I'd say she's 7-10 days old.
I've never had chicks. I could attach a picture but I am honestly afraid people will be mad that I didnt treat it right and now it's too bad. I honestly hadn't expected her to survive...I just figured she'd at least die in peace/relative comfort vs being pecked to death. Here we are a week later.
I might be able to get her to a vet in the area (I am rural and there is a clinic that does pigs and horses and goats, they might help). I am so upset because I am now attached to the sweet thing. I hope since she's still eating and drinking and moving normally, that she can still be saved.
Do I pull the scab off and start from scratch with wound care? Leave it be a little longer? I read about one person using silvadene to heal a chicks wound, I could try to get some of that. I will do what needs to be done...but I dont know what that is or if I am too late.
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