Back of Hen's Head / Neck Torn Up by Rooster

[Juise]

I have a hen that, after going broody for awhile, the rooster started attacking. At first he was just chasing her off, then he started aiming the occasional peck at her, but nothing terrible. There were no problems prior to her going broody. Today when I went to lock them up, she wasn't in the coop. I finally lured her out of the woods with a bowl of pasta, and the back of her head and neck are super torn up, a bloody mess.

I have her inside in a scrubbed out cat carrier for the moment, with food and water, and hopefully tomorrow I can figure out something with a little more space to keep her in.

I have two main questions, the first being wound care:

I'm not sure right now how much skin is ripped off, my main concern is one spot that looked like a small hole pulsing up blood, which may or may not be the main source of all the blood. It made me worried to try to clean it much though, I was afraid to flush it with water with that wide open and bubbling. I dabbed her all up, and dabbed on some triple antibiotic ointment. (That's all I had right now, and it is late so nothing is open. I could pick something else up tomorrow.) Any recommendations on what I should be doing to care for her wounds? I can take pictures if that would help, but it is, of course, pretty gross. Am I likely to need some sort of cone to keep her from scratching at it?

Secondly, reintroduction:

If anyone has had experience with this situation, were you able to successfully reintroduce the hen? She's not had any issue with the other hens, but I wonder if the rooster will ever stop? I will obviously keep her isolated until she is healed up, and keep them separated when I bring her back to the coop for a bit, but I am worried about him doing it again. I am not really sure why he began having a problem with her in the first place. Any ideas?

Thank you very much in advance to anyone who has some suggestions for me.

 

[sourland]

He regards her as 'different' because of her broody behavior. If he were mine, I would separate him from the flock. Then I would reintegrate her, and after several days I would return him to the flock. If his aggressive behavior continued he would become soup. You could always rehome or cull the hen, but he might display the same behavior towards the next broody hen. For me it is not acceptable behavior.

 

[Juise]

Hmm, that's weird, had another hen go broody just after her, and she hasn't been bothered at all. I will try separating him when I try to integrate her, though, (assuming she survives,) that's a good idea, thanks.

I didn't actually see him getting her, so I suppose it could possibly have been a hawk, or something else, they free range, but I am assuming it was him based on his behavior recently.

 

[MrsBachbach]

It was very likely something else that got ahold of her head. Lucky she escaped.

I recommend "Wonder Dust" for her injury. Most feed supply stores carry it. You just puff it on and it stops bleeding and heals the wound. Usually just one application is all it has taken when I use it. I've used it on bloody navels, torn flesh, bloody wounds, etc. It's like a black charcoal powder and with antibiotic properties and it will put a scab on her injuries.

 

[Juise]

Thanks, I will go pick some up. Sounds easier than trying to apply ointment, lol.

 

[NovaAman]

Hey Juise! You've been gone forever! Anyway, I am of the mind that your girl probably got attacked by a juvenile hawk, and she was able to get away. Kinda of like how my Roger got attacked and scalped last year. Be sure to give her electrolytes as well to keep her "up".
I had a coon get in my coop and take a broody off the nest, but I caught the bad word in the act and was able to save my girl. I actually used redkote oil on her and she's healing up real nice, and the stuff smells so bad that the other birds pretty much leave her be. Keeps the bugs off her too since she's in the garage.

 

[Juise]

Hi, Nova! I miss you! I picked up wonder dust today, and am just about to try it out. She's actually in my entryway at the moment, haha. The garage is sweltering, and I was afraid with all the blood and such that the flies would be all over, so figured inside would be the easiest way to keep her clean. Wish I had a little dog kennel or something, though, she has no space to move around in the cat carrier. Might just go ahead and throw a tarp down in the entryway, I can't leave her in that little thing even as long as it will take to scab over, I think. She's a black chicken, so I am hoping the wonder dust will help blend all that in, too, when she does get out. I'm going to get that tractor hardware clothed so that when she does start healing up, she'll have a safe place to be outside.

So you guys think it wasn't the rooster? That would be preferable, make it much easier to reintegrate her without as much worry, but even though he'd pecked her head before? It is a lot of skin off, that would take one heck of a pecking, but he was being such a jerk I just assumed it was him. She's not been hanging out with the flock, though, because of that, certainly would make her more vulnerable to other predators, and she is also my most petite chicken, she's a tiny thing.

 

[NovaAman]

I'd wait until she's got her skin back, and feathering in. Then pick one of the more docile of your girls to go in the tractor with her, then reintegrate them together while throwing the rooster in the tractor for a few days. But no, I don't think it was the rooster at all.

Quick story... Mr. Fluffers was the best roo. You saw him, beauty of a thing. Well... He HATED just one hen. I mean to the point of snatching her and flinging her. Leila was always protected by her sister Minnesota Cuke. Well, a hawk got her, and Leila lost her protector. Minnie was a vicious little silkie hen, and she ruled the roost while she was alive, even bullied Mr. Fluffers. Anyway, I ended up having to house Leila in the garage which was ok. Now I keep all the weaker birds in the garage... instead of my car... WHAT? how the heck..! Anyway, it happens. Might be that he just does not like her, and the tractor may just be a good choice for her and a friend or two.

 

[freestargirl]

I had the same thing happen to hen of mine only it was the other hens attacking her. She didn't have any spurting blood though. I was get that too stop or she might bleed to death. Ours, the other hens basically scalped her. I used BluKote spray on it, once a day til it scabbed over good, then did every other day. She did scratch at it some. I kept her in a brooder box on my carport til she healed. We re-introduced her at night, and by the next afternoon they'd scalped her again. We ended up just adding onto our coop and her boxes opens up into an completely fenced in run adjacent to the main run. Good luck! Must just be that one hen he doesn't like. Could have been a peck from him that started the bleeding and then they kept after. :-(

 

[NovaAman]

OH! Get silkies! Your mini-you's will LOVE them.