Bleeding comb

[LittleMissCountry]

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..

The coop and run are in a small grove of trees, so it is hard to see the setup right now, as there is a lot of undergrowth still. We did get a prefab, so I know it isn't ideal, but I bought one that said for 8 chickens, since I read that the prefabs usually say twice as many as they should. I did make some modifications and extend the run. Once it gets really cold, I plan to attach the portable run to the existing run to double the space during the day, and close it off at night. I do have plans to build a new coop and run next summer.

I may bring her in at night again, until the place is healed, and make sure she is around the others during the day. Right now, the two buff orps are happily foraging around in the portable pen.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

T

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

Thank you! The shampooing went well and I got off all the blood. The place doesn't look too bad now. That is why I am wondering if it was an accident, not a pecking injury. It looks almost like her comb got caught on something and ripped.

I dried her off and she is happily foraging outside with the other buff orp.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Remove the bully

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I wanted to add that I am not opposed to showing a picture of the setup. It truly is hidden by design. Our HOA regulations state that it can't be seen from the road, and the way our yard lays, almost our entire backyard is seen from the road, even though we have 6 acres. So we did some creative design with the placement and planted bushes in front. So a picture wouldn't really show you much. You would see a door to the coop, and then trees and bushes. Lol

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Remove the bully

If I figure out who is pecking at her, I will.

 

[snow5164]

@LittleMissCountry they will all peck at blood that doesn’t mean they’re bullies.

Mine was (as yours sounds ) an injury and that’s all.

My first sign of blood in my 5 years with chickens pretty good odds

I’m glad she looks good

 

[Saaniya]

Her feathers are stained with blood that I can't get off. Any tips for getting blood off?

Water & cotton

 

[LittleMissCountry]

@LittleMissCountry they will all peck at blood that doesn’t mean they’re bullies.

Mine was (as yours sounds ) an injury and that’s all.

My first sign of blood work in my 5 years with chickens pretty good odds

I’m glad she looks good

She looks good now, and the other buff orp hasn't pecked at her at all. I may try putting the other two in the portable run as well and see how they all do together.

 

[snow5164]

Water & cotton

@Saaniya Water doesn’t remove dry blood or the smell , you need soap but baby shampoo is best by eyes, chickens can smell blood

 

[townchicks]

Her feathers are stained with blood that I can't get off. Any tips for getting blood off?

Hydrogen peroxide gets blood off very well, just put it in a sprayer and spritz the bloody feathers. It will fizz up and the blood will dissolve. Just let it dry then.