# Help! Pecking Injury!



## TheMoth (Mar 23, 2021)

Last night, I noticed that one of our chicks, Champagne, was getting pecked quite a bit on her back towards her tail. And even worse, that she appeared to have some blood back there as well.

Right now, I have her in a separate box with food, water and heat, gently cleaning the wound daily with lukewarm water and neosporin. Is there anything else I could do that could help her feel more comfortable, help it heal faster or how long I should keep this up before getting worried? (Update: The blood seems to have dried, but I'm still worried about putting her back with the others)


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Do not put her back with the others untill the wound has healed. They will keep going for the wound and will kill her. Chickens are omnivorous. They eat plants and flesh.
You can keep cleaning and spray with blucote to dry it. From the picture there are feathers covering the sore. You can place a little antibiotic powder for birds on it too just to kill infection.


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## TheMoth (Mar 23, 2021)

Tanya said:


> Do not put her back with the others untill the wound has healed. They will keep going for the wound and will kill her. Chickens are omnivorous. They eat plants and flesh.
> You can keep cleaning and spray with blucote to dry it. From the picture there are feathers covering the sore. You can place a little antibiotic powder for birds on it too just to kill infection.


Do you have any tips on how to clean off the dried blood to make it a little easier to see? Or should I just wait until the fluff turns to feather?


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## JML Farms (Jan 1, 2021)

Hang a piece of bacon from a string for the other chicks to peck. It seems to sooth their need for blood. I have to do this sometimes when they become cannibalistic. Once they get a taste for the blood on a fellow chick, they will keep pecking it. The bacon trick has worked for me many times in the past. But do not put the wounded chick back in with the others until it is completely healed.


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I’ve heard (and it worked for my turkey poults who were in the chicks) that spraying blukote on the wound disguises the blood, so the other chickens don’t see it as a wound or bloody and won’t peck at it. If you try this and put her back in, I’d watch for a while to make sure they aren’t pecking at her.


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Its not only about seeing but smelling. You can soak the wounded area to soften the blood in a very week iodine solution. The blucote does disguise the color of blood. Chickens cannot see blue or violet.

I like the bacon idea. Its actually brilliant. Here i dont have a problem like this. My chickens with degut a mouse and devour it before eating each other.

I would put the chick seperate till it has healed.


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