Bleeding comb

[snow5164]

This was my first accident in 5 years!!

You couldn’t put blu kote there anyways, not near the eyes.

Wash her , do you have tearless shampoo? She might just close her eyes ,

Most important is to get the feathers clean .

As soon as mine was dry I put her back,
Her entire neck was full of dry blood...

Also if you see one particular hen peck at her again? Remove her give her a time out

 

[LittleMissCountry]

This was my first accident in 5 years!!

You couldn’t put blu kote there anyways, not near the eyes.

Wash her , do you have tearless shampoo? She might just close her eyes ,

Most important is to get the feathers clean .

As soon as mine was dry I put her back,
Her entire neck was full of dry blood...

Also if you see one particular hen peck at her again? Remove her give her a time out

I will clean her up tomorrow. I don't have the tear free shampoo but I am doing a grocery run anyway, so I will pick some up.
I will see if I can figure out who is pecking at her. They are obviously sneaky as they didn't do it while I wa watching them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You may want to check her really well just to make sure she isn't sick.
If they are attacking her, there's usually a reason.

Does she act sick? When did she last lay an egg?
Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight, feel her abdomen for bloat/swelling and look her over for any lice/mites.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

You may want to check her really well just to make sure she isn't sick.
If they are attacking her, there's usually a reason.

Does she act sick? When did she last lay an egg?
Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight, feel her abdomen for bloat/swelling and look her over for any lice/mites.

She laid an egg yesterday. She is eating and drinking normally and her tail is up. I checked them all a few days ago for mites/lice, but will check again this morning. I will check her crop this morning.

They all finished the recovery round of the Corid last week, and I gave them all a dose of Nutridrench after. She has had normal poops.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Her crop was empty this morning and she eagerly ate her pellets this morning. I can't find anything wrong, other than the blood on her.

I an going to wash her head with shampoo today, and let them all out in the yard together, and watch them. I am home today so I can keep a close eye on them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Let us know how it goes

 

[rebrascora]

It may be a space issue. The lowest ranking bird will often take a beating if space is tight. When they are out free ranging they will probably not bother her but when it comes to returning to the coop or pen on an evening that is when they may turn on her. It would not be fair to rehome her in my opinion as she will probably have the same integration problems at a new home.
Can you create a space for her and another mild mannered hen and keep them together? Perhaps allowing them to free range and keep the others penned for a week or two. This will help to build her self confidence. Also, perhaps look at increasing the coop and pen size if it is below the minimum 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

It may be a space issue. The lowest ranking bird will often take a beating if space is tight. When they are out free ranging they will probably not bother her but when it comes to returning to the coop or pen on an evening that is when they may turn on her. It would not be fair to rehome her in my opinion as she will probably have the same integration problems at a new home.
Can you create a space for her and another mild mannered hen and keep them together? Perhaps allowing them to free range and keep the others penned for a week or two. This will help to build her self confidence. Also, perhaps look at increasing the coop and pen size if it is below the minimum 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run.

The coop hasn't been an issue before. They have a large portable run also, that they are in during the day, when not free ranging, so they don't stay cooped up all day.
They are 8 months old, and this is the first incident with bleeding involved. I don't think space is an issue, but I may reasses that when it gets colder and they are more confined.

I can put her with the other buff orp in the portable pen today. They get along great together. That is a good idea. She would still have a friend, then.
I am wondering if she caught her comb in something and hurt it, and the others just pecked it because it was bleeding. The other buff orp has never picked on her.

 

[rebrascora]

As they mature and come into lay and hormones kick in, what once seemed like plenty of space can start to feel a bit crowded to them..... think teenage siblings sharing a room!.... A photo your set up would give us a better idea if you don't have the square footage or dimensions to hand. Adding extra feed and water stations can also help but it also takes up extra space, so pairing the two buffs up together in a separate pen sounds like a good solution at least for now. Beware if you put her in the coop with them at night, they might give her a beating in the morning before you let them out and she could be seriously injured in a confined space where she can't get away and they have nothing better to do. As someone else said, they can be brutal..

 

[snow5164]

Mine got her head caught by trying to go from one nesting box to the other behind the divider,

Accidents happen it’s not always from lack of space or boredom . Once there’s blood you have to deal with it.

Happy Shampooing

Mine made a 100% recovery