AmelieSophie
In the Brooder
- Mar 24, 2020
- 3
- 13
- 18
Hello!
When I went to clean the henhouse today I found that half the henhouse was speckled with blood. There was blood all around the night roosting area, the walls and over the wood shavings between the roosting area and the pop door. One chicken was covered in blood speckles in its face and all along the front/side, another one had some along its side. To me it looked like a chicken had blood in their cloaca and then farted really hard multiple times. Additionally there were two large drops of (slightly coagulated ) blood just underneath the roosting bar.
My first thought had been that a weasel attacked - the door was already open and the chickens free-ranged - but all chickens are there still.
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
I have 4 Vorwerk and two dwarf-Wyandotts at about 26 weeks old.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
I do not know which chicken the blood is from, but I would rule out the three that had blood on their chests/head/neck/sides. Today they all behaved normal and don't seem frightened or spooked - except the one that was quite blood sprayed, she looked a bit ruffled but I found that dust had clumped up with the blood and her feathers felt sticky and dirty. She didn't enjoy me examining her all that much and since I she couldn't have been the sprayer I let her off. Should I give her a bath or will she be ok dust bathing?
Today - just like on other days - they came whenever I went out to the compost. We can mostly pick them up but need to find the right moment and be calm around them, same today.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Only today
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
Unsure of which or how many, though I'd assume
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Other than that three chicks were sprayed with blood (some more others less) I could not find any blood or traces of injuries on the chickens. Looking at their butts while pecking I could not see any blood around any of their butts.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
The Vorwerks just started laying - we have had 4 eggs in the past few days. Two we could clearly identify who laid them (the chickens that had been sprayed with blood), for the others we're unsure. 3 eggs were in the nesting boxes but one seemed to have been laid while sitting on the roost and it fell and broke, probably just where there were the drops of blood this morning.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Nothing other than observation.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
If I see any new blood or off behaviour I'll contact a vet on Monday. Getting some input from more experienced chicken keepers would greatly help me judge the urgency of the situation.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
They get to free range in our garden all day and spend the night in their "Gardencoop". The run is bedded with fir chips and the henhouse with wood shavings from a friend's workshop (suction intake from the table saw)
Most of the poop looked normal but I did spot a few droppings that looked dark green - tealy.
It seems to be normal that there is a bit of blood on the first eggs (as a mom of two I can fully relate...). But spraying blood...? Should I be seriously concerned?
When I went to clean the henhouse today I found that half the henhouse was speckled with blood. There was blood all around the night roosting area, the walls and over the wood shavings between the roosting area and the pop door. One chicken was covered in blood speckles in its face and all along the front/side, another one had some along its side. To me it looked like a chicken had blood in their cloaca and then farted really hard multiple times. Additionally there were two large drops of (slightly coagulated ) blood just underneath the roosting bar.
My first thought had been that a weasel attacked - the door was already open and the chickens free-ranged - but all chickens are there still.
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
I have 4 Vorwerk and two dwarf-Wyandotts at about 26 weeks old.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
I do not know which chicken the blood is from, but I would rule out the three that had blood on their chests/head/neck/sides. Today they all behaved normal and don't seem frightened or spooked - except the one that was quite blood sprayed, she looked a bit ruffled but I found that dust had clumped up with the blood and her feathers felt sticky and dirty. She didn't enjoy me examining her all that much and since I she couldn't have been the sprayer I let her off. Should I give her a bath or will she be ok dust bathing?
Today - just like on other days - they came whenever I went out to the compost. We can mostly pick them up but need to find the right moment and be calm around them, same today.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Only today
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
Unsure of which or how many, though I'd assume
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Other than that three chicks were sprayed with blood (some more others less) I could not find any blood or traces of injuries on the chickens. Looking at their butts while pecking I could not see any blood around any of their butts.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
The Vorwerks just started laying - we have had 4 eggs in the past few days. Two we could clearly identify who laid them (the chickens that had been sprayed with blood), for the others we're unsure. 3 eggs were in the nesting boxes but one seemed to have been laid while sitting on the roost and it fell and broke, probably just where there were the drops of blood this morning.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Nothing other than observation.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
If I see any new blood or off behaviour I'll contact a vet on Monday. Getting some input from more experienced chicken keepers would greatly help me judge the urgency of the situation.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
They get to free range in our garden all day and spend the night in their "Gardencoop". The run is bedded with fir chips and the henhouse with wood shavings from a friend's workshop (suction intake from the table saw)
Most of the poop looked normal but I did spot a few droppings that looked dark green - tealy.
It seems to be normal that there is a bit of blood on the first eggs (as a mom of two I can fully relate...). But spraying blood...? Should I be seriously concerned?
