Chicken being attacked by flock

Hi I adopted 4 ex-battery warrens in May and I am still new and learning as I go.

All 4 of my chickens arrived more or less baldy, I can only assume that they pulled out their feathers in boredom. Their feathers were growing back but then they started shedding.

One of my girls, Dana, has a baldy bum and the other chickens have been pecking at her.
After an afternoon out I came home to find her bleeding quite badly.

I gave her a warm salt bath cleaning the wound and have separated her from the rest of the flock tonight so she can heal. I know that when chickens see blood they go in for the kill so wanted to give her wounds a chance to scab over.

I am concerned about what to do in the morning. All my chickens are free range and get the run of the entire garden during the day. They are able to go in and out of their coop and nesting area as they please.

Will I be okay to let Dana out in the morning with them? Or will they still see the scabs and attack her?

I work full time so won't be home to supervise them.

I do have a small outhouse I could put her in, but I feel mean keeping her locked up and I don't want to keep her away from the flock too long in case they start to reject her.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Hi KittyKatKayl

I'm definitely NOT an expert... and, I have been raising
birds for about 6 or 7 years....

I would keep your injured bird separate until she is
healed....if you have a way to block an area of the
coop off and still let the birds see one another,
that works, too.

or, (don't know what it's called) there is a smelly
ointment that you can put on her...

I've put antibiotic ointment on pecked spots and
the birds don't seem to like the smell - so SEEM
to leave it alone...

If they have enough to do to keep them busy, they
also don't seem to bother beating up sick birds.

I hope your little lady gets better quickly.

Karen

Thanks hon, I will look into the ointment

The chickens have the run of the garden which is in 3 sections, lots of bushes around, tunnels, pond, different layers for heights, Things to fly onto and climb etc, food tied above them to jump at at fruits rolling about for them to chase round eating. I keep 2 type of pellets in different areas. The garden is quite large too. Is there any other way I can keep them entertained/ busy to stop them pecking her?

Hey Kitty! I would not let her back out with them as the wounds will not just scab overnight. Karen has a good idea on penning off a place for her where they can't get to her. If you put her back out with them they will continue to peck her as they will do that to chickens with bare spots. I also put Neosporin on my chicken's wounds anytime they get hurt. Always be sure not to use any other antibiotic ointment with pain medication in it though as it is toxic to chickens, only Neosporin or a triple antibiotic without pain reliever in it even the cheap kind, but I go with the Neosporin. Those chickens are trying to kill her and they will if you leave her unattended and where they can get at her especially since they have already wounded her. Unfortunately when the chickens start to peck another, they don't get away from them but rather just bend down and hope that they stop pecking them. I don't think this is a pecking order problem, but a bald spot problem, they see that something is wrong with her and want to cull her. That's my estimation of it anyway. I am not professional but I've had chickens for a long time now and I've seen this behavior before. So sorry that your girl is having this problem. Maybe some others will have a better idea for you, but I like Karen's idea. I've heard of spraying them with something to help stop that I don't remember for sure what maybe Apple Cider Vinegar, not sure, been a long time, but maybe someone else knows. Good luck!

You can spray the area with Blu-Kote. It stains the area to cover up the red, bloody spots, so the others won't peck at it. It takes a while to wear off, but it works great!!

I have a Black Australorp who started getting pecked at almost a year ago. They pecked her head - like a nasty gash. I brought her in and kept her in the house until it started to heal and put her back out . They did it again, and again...., she has been separated from the others since then. I have used blue kopte and almost everything in the book. They want nothing to do with her. I am looking for some help too. Hope your situation gets better.