When I went out to check the feed and water in the run, I found one of our new chicks injured when she came out to eat. I am not sure how the initial injury occurred, but the mamas and other chickens were pecking at her when I put her down after my initial look to see what was going on. She is coop hatched, and after the first 2 days, the other hens have left the chicks alone (except the 2 "moms" and one other broody who has taken over babysitting). She is 15 days old today, and a Salmon Faverolle. She hatched a day late, and looked pretty dopey compared to her fellow hatchmate (a male faverolle), but after about day 4 has looked and acted normal, which is to say that we haven't noticed any behavior that would single her out as non-viable or sick to the other chickens, but who knows what all they pick up on...
We have:
--Removed her to the house, put her in a brooder box with a heat lamp (temp at 90 degrees), and with food and water, which she is actively eating and drinking (but has refused the hard boiled egg we tried to giver and which she has eaten before). We added a soft towel for her to snuggle with.
--Flushed the wound with Vetericyn Plus and applied neosporin (no pain reliever).
She is eating and drinking, and pretty actively moving around, but clearly disoriented by not having any other chickens around. She is even stretching her neck up and down, which I'm hoping is a good sign. Poop looks like normal chick poop.
Here are the questions that we'd like help with:
--How long can she stay separated and still be accepted back by the moms (yes, there are 2 that have claimed her) and the #3 babysitter, let alone the other 3 hens (all hens are almost 9 months old)? When it's time to go back, we plan to do it in the dark.
--I plan to pick up some Blu-Kote. I have read that it can help prevent the others from pecking at her wound. But do we need to clean off the neosporin in order for it to have access to the wound and work it's magic, not to mention stay on the wound?
--Anything else we should be doing?
I'd like to get her back to the coop and run as quickly as safely possible. The poor thing is clearly wanting under a mom--she crawled up my shoulder and under my pony-tail last night. But I don't want to put her back if they are just going to go at her again.
We have:
--Removed her to the house, put her in a brooder box with a heat lamp (temp at 90 degrees), and with food and water, which she is actively eating and drinking (but has refused the hard boiled egg we tried to giver and which she has eaten before). We added a soft towel for her to snuggle with.
--Flushed the wound with Vetericyn Plus and applied neosporin (no pain reliever).
She is eating and drinking, and pretty actively moving around, but clearly disoriented by not having any other chickens around. She is even stretching her neck up and down, which I'm hoping is a good sign. Poop looks like normal chick poop.
Here are the questions that we'd like help with:
--How long can she stay separated and still be accepted back by the moms (yes, there are 2 that have claimed her) and the #3 babysitter, let alone the other 3 hens (all hens are almost 9 months old)? When it's time to go back, we plan to do it in the dark.
--I plan to pick up some Blu-Kote. I have read that it can help prevent the others from pecking at her wound. But do we need to clean off the neosporin in order for it to have access to the wound and work it's magic, not to mention stay on the wound?
--Anything else we should be doing?
I'd like to get her back to the coop and run as quickly as safely possible. The poor thing is clearly wanting under a mom--she crawled up my shoulder and under my pony-tail last night. But I don't want to put her back if they are just going to go at her again.
