Bad wound on chicken bottom. UPDATE

[chutewoman]

The coupe is a 4 x 8 x 4ft tall, the outdoor area is 10x10x4 ft tall. I had 2 red sexlinks, 4 black sex links and 4 white silkies together in the pen. There is now just 4 hens in one pen and the other two are in an identical pen by themselves. They are let out everyday into the outdoor area which I have 3 sides protected and the roof covered. Sunlight gets in, the coop is draft proof but not heated. The coop is about 3 ft off the ground on stilts. The outdoor area has about 1 foot of dry straw to scratch in. I feed them fancy scratch grains (morning), fresh clover(morning), and layers crumbles (full feed all day). Oyster shells and grit all the time.

 

[silkiechicken]

I think the primary issue was that the bantam silkies were in with standard type birds. Crested banties and standards probably shouldn't be housed together unless there is ALOT of space to get away.

Silkies can't always see that well due to crests and so can't see danger as well. With a crest, they won't be able to see if they got in the way of a standard and would be attacked for overstepping their lines without even being able to see that they over stepped boundaries.

If they were moulting, they may get a wilted comb, lose a bit of weight, and may slow down a bit, but should bounce back quick. I suspect that your standards may have been stoping the silkies from eating thus making them weak.

If the flock went after a silkie first, they could have now developed a pecking issue and took advantage of your standard hen who was weak for some reason.

Another thing, often people say silkies are doscile calm birds... I find this VERY true with heavily crested and beareded silkies. It's because they can't see! I have some with small crests and can see just like any other chicken and as a result, they act just like any other chicken. They move when you almost step on them, and do more normal chicken things, other than just standing there pecking at the dish trusting there is food to be eaten. They can actually get bugs and aim right too.

The sexlinks will probably be just fine with other standards and other sexlinks. If you want to expand for egg production, go ahead and get more standards. Of course, with any introduction of new birds, there will be squabbles, but do let them figure it out. It will take a few weeks. With your current coop, the "rule of thumb" would max you out at 8 hens. (4 sq ft inside 10 outside each) However some say you need at least 2x that space per bird, while others do fine with less.

I personally keep all my silkies in their own coop, and all the standards in a different coop. They do range together and are just fine, but have an acre or so of cleared land to roam, and much more of woods that they don't enter.

Perhaps if they are bored, you could give them something to do. Like hang food from the ceiling, or giving them some straw to dig though after sprinkling in some bird seed or scratch.

If they are eating feathers and picking due to lack of protein, which could be lacking if they are moulting and need the protein, supplementing with eggs, cat food in moderation, or finding a flock raiser or layer supplement with a higher percentage protein may help.

Good luck!


ETA:

If a moult was to happen, it is not uncommon to wake up one morning, and have the coop look like someone had a pillow fight. I have hen who is curently molting, and she's a heavy moulter. She's dropped about 60% of her feathers in two days and as she walks, more falls off. She jumped to her roost spot and left a cloud of feathers behind her. She is nearly bald with pin feathers just starting to show. However, she's not lethargic and does regular chicken things.

 

[mypicklebird]

Quote:
Search this site- key word 'cannibalism' for causes and solutions. It sounds like your sex links have this problem. If you do not address it, it will likely keep happening to new hens put in with the group, or to the weakest group member.

 

[chutewoman]

I do so appreciate all the advice!! I have read up on everything I could find. Never thought it could be the size of the coop giving me trouble. They have all been together since spring in the same coop, so I will keep that in mind when I try to increase this spring! I have also taken BYC forum advice and have bought some vitamin supplements ( how often would I give them this), have started feeding some dry cat food (how much do I give), I am cutting the grass clippings up better, and I am going to hang a cabbage in the coop. I had a local farmer tell me I should also give tomato juice to the birds so they lose interest in the color red. Has anyone ever heard this, my hens just ate it up like it was candy, don't know if that is good or bad. I have also bought some blue kote and pine tar to put on any new bald spots, but so far everyone else is looking great, eating great, and laying an egg a day. (the silkie is not laying) Thanks again for the help, I get very stressed out when I see my babies hurt, I just want them to be happy and healthy and an egg or two would be nice!!

 

[patandchickens]

One other thought: it would be worth thinking about what might've been ailing the hen in the first place, so's to try to recognize it sooner next time if it happens to another bird. My first thought would be that she had prolapsed while eggbound (which would most certainly tend to provoke cannibalism), but there are any number of other problems that could make her droopy and then, if droopy, some bored hens might go after her.

If you could keep a close eye on their individual behavior and health you might be able to catch the next one in time. Especially if it was a prolapse -- this is not particularly uncommon and is a pretty strong invitation to pecking.

Condolences, and good luck,

Pat