Something wrong with wyandotte hen but can't figure out what.

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chcknluvr

chcknluvr

In the Brooder
Sep 4, 2015
47
9
39
North Carolina
Hey, I have a 9 month old wyandotte hen who keeps getting pecked at. About four weeks ago, I was down at the coops feeding the chickens, when I was horrified to see twelve of my chickens, dominiques, mixed breed, and wyandottes, pecking at this helpless hen we call Clarabelle. I got her out of that coop as fast as I could, and I put her in another coop with two chickens who are recovering from puncture wounds. All was well until about one week ago when Clarabelle's sister Annie, who is a wyandotte recovering from a puncture wound, started pecking at Clarabelle! I have seen several tail feathers in the run that have come out of Clarabelle, and she is missing some feathers on the back of her neck. I have checked for mites and I am not sure what else to do. Something must be wrong with her, I just can't figure out what. Right before she started getting hurt, we had a dog attack. Something to do with trauma maybe? An internal injury? She appears fine on the outside. Please help! Thanks
 
Could you post a picture of her? That might help determine the cause.

Sometimes hens are just bullied. It could be from the attack, because of a sickness or injury, not enough space or inadequate food, boredom, or other causes of stress. Try providing lots of places to hide, perch out of reach, and lots of things for the flock to keep busy with so they won't focus so much on picking on her.

I hope she stays healthy and happy.
 







The first one is the spot where feathers are missing on the back of her neck. I took these photos about twenty minutes ago. Our chickens have two different coops each with a large run, but we have a BIG lot that we let them into during the day. The coops stay open so they have hiding places and perches, so I don't think it's either of those. It could be boredom, but we do try to provide them with treats and things to stand and perch on. So I guess it could be bullying or injuries. I guess I'll just keep an eye on her and see if I can figure anything out. Thanks for replying!
 
How long have they been doing this? She almost looks like she's molting because the has some missing feathers on her chest where they would not peck her.
 
Thanks, she is a very sweet chicken.
smile.png
 
I'm not sure how long it went on before I put her in the other coop, but her getting pecked in the coop she's in now started about a week and a half ago. She is one out of three chickens in that coop, and it is a big coop, so at least she has room to get away from her sister who has pecked her. She acts very scared around her sister, but not Crackers, our seven month old dominique. Since I'm not with the chickens all day, I don't know how much she gets pecked at. I go down there for about thirty minutes once or twice daily, and when I do, Annie does not always peck at Clarabelle when I'm down there, but I have caught her pecking Clarabelle twice. Maybe Clarabelle is molting, like you said. I didn't notice the feathers missing on her chest, so you are likely right. Thanks for replying!
 
chcknluvr said:
I'm not sure how long it went on before I put her in the other coop, but her getting pecked in the coop she's in now started about a week and a half ago. She is one out of three chickens in that coop, and it is a big coop, so at least she has room to get away from her sister who has pecked her. She acts very scared around her sister, but not Crackers, our seven month old dominique. Since I'm not with the chickens all day, I don't know how much she gets pecked at. I go down there for about thirty minutes once or twice daily, and when I do, Annie does not always peck at Clarabelle when I'm down there, but I have caught her pecking Clarabelle twice. Maybe Clarabelle is molting, like you said. I didn't notice the feathers missing on her chest, so you are likely right. Thanks for replying!
Click to expand...

Molting is always uncomfortable for chickens. However, you mentioned your chickens were under a year of age, and hens don't usually molt until their second year.
 

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