Bloody comb. Help!

[azygous]

Some folks store dried leaves in trash bags to scatter over the snow in their runs so the chickens won't have to walk on snow, not that it hurts them or anything. They just don't like to walk on it for some reason. I thought maybe it was because they are too easily contrasted with the white background so they are more vulnerable to predators.

True or not, it seems to be in their DNA to hate snow. I had a young cockerel try to fly over the snow only to end up head first in a snow bank with his big feathered feet flapping madly in the air. After having my first laugh of the day, I fished him out. But I keep a path shoveled around the run now so when they go out on nice days, their feet don't have to touch snow. We are here to serve our chickens and feel honored in them allowing us to do it.

 

[aart]

Haha yes, -10F. I'm in Wisconsin. It'll get up to 12 I think today. But cold again tonight. 12 isn't too bad.

12F feels great after -10F!
It's about 12 here now, and it feels pretty freakin' cold, but not nose hair freezing cold. Bit warmer then the 8 it was when I first went out to feed and check a frostbit wattle that was bloody last night at lock up. Wattle sealed up fine, whew, but I left them in the coop until just now when I shoveled part of the run and tossed some straw down under their sheltered area. Some like to come out, will even walk on the snow, others stay inside.

Be careful putting a tarp up, what ever is under it needs to be able to hold any snow load and be easily cleared of snow.

Look at the tag sewn into bottom of feed bag for nutritional percentages, giving various treats is fine as long as the entire diet is balanced. No more than 10% of daily volume of feed should be 'treats' is a decent 'rule of thumb'...what those treats are can be important too.

 

[KayNova]

12F feels great after -10F!
It's about 12 here now, and it feels pretty freakin' cold, but not nose hair freezing cold. Bit warmer then the 8 it was when I first went out to feed and check a frostbit wattle that was bloody last night at lock up. Wattle sealed up fine, whew, but I left them in the coop until just now when I shoveled part of the run and tossed some straw down under their sheltered area. Some like to come out, will even walk on the snow, others stay inside.

Be careful putting a tarp up, what ever is under it needs to be able to hold any snow load and be easily cleared of snow.

Look at the tag sewn into bottom of feed bag for nutritional percentages, giving various treats is fine as long as the entire diet is balanced. No more than 10% of daily volume of feed should be 'treats' is a decent 'rule of thumb'...what those treats are can be important too.

I'l keep that in mind when I go home and look at the bag. The roof of the run is very sturdy thick metal fencing that we rounded and tied down. Like a dome. It will be easy to remove snow I think. I just hate that they stay in the coop all day. Surely being able to move around more would warm them up.

 

[KayNova]

So.... she's being picked on. My husband saw them today not letting her eat. I saw one pecking at her in the coop. Do you think it's because they'e been staying inside for so long that they're etting antsy? I don't know how to force them outside when it's this cold. Will they stop picking in her? I'm so upset.

 

[aart]

So.... she's being picked on. My husband saw them today not letting her eat. I saw one pecking at her in the coop. Do you think it's because they'e been staying inside for so long that they're etting antsy? I don't know how to force them outside when it's this cold. Will they stop picking in her? I'm so upset.

Time to look at why they are picking on her.

Not sure about the bullying.....first is to look at space and feed.
Crowding and low protein/nutrition can cause chickens to get cranky and eat each other.
Not really eat each other, as in cannibalism,
but feathers and blood are tasty protein packed 'treats'.

Knowing more about :
your flock size(numbers, ages, genders),
your coop(size in feet by feet with pics),
and what and how exactly you are feeding,
might offer clues to if there is a solvable problem.

 

[KayNova]

Also, I noticed that none of the other girls are roosting next to her. Is that just a coincidence? Ugh, it' breaking my heart

 

[aart]

Knowing more about :
your flock size(numbers, ages, genders),
your coop(size in feet by feet with pics),
and what and how exactly you are feeding,
might offer clues to if there is a solvable problem.

 

[azygous]

We often project our own emotions onto our chickens. If we identified with that lonely kid eating lunch alone in the quad at high school surrounded by cliques of kids all laughing together, we look at a lonely chicken and think it's the same thing. It's not.

While chickens can and do form bonds with one another, they are perfectly content if they are alone in the flock. A chicken is way more apt to suffer anxiety from being alone when they are the only chicken. As long as a chicken, no matter how badly treated by the others, can be in a flock, she will be content.

This isn't to say that a chicken that is bullied has no problems having her needs satisfied. A chicken can starve to death that is bullied away from food mainly for the reason that after a prolonged period of this, the victim comes to believe she doesn't deserve to eat. When that happens, you can isolate the chicken and give her food, and she will refuse to eat.

This is why it's important to intervene before the victim reaches that point where they think they have no right to food. This is why I suggest the time-out in a "jail" or protected pen within the run. This way the chicken is still in the flock and is more likely to begin eating again when she feels safe.

But try to stop worrying your hen is lonely. That isn't her problem.

 

[azygous]

Here's part two since the other post was way long.

You need to ask, as @aart has, why is my chicken being bullied? There are different reasons why a chicken is singled out for bullying. You need to try to figure out why this is happening.

One reason a hen gets bullied is because the flock members sense something is wrong with her. A flock bullies an infirm member out of the flock to preserve their genetics. It's a natural feature of Chicken World. So give your hen a thorough exam, head to toe. Look for injuries. Watch behavior. Is she behaving like she doesn't feel well?

Another reason is unfortunate mixing of breed temperaments. Do you happen to have a mix of very aggressive breeds such as production reds and Barred Rocks and very docile breeds such as Cochins and Brahmas and Silkies?

Another reason is confinement in space that is inadequate. Boredom is another reason. Enlarging the run and making it more interesting and complex helps tremendously with bullying.

Another reason is stress. Stress comes from within the flock as well as from outside the flock. If you have busy, noisy construction or small children running around among the chickens, it can disrupt the harmony of the flock.

The best way to discover why bullying is taking place is to sit and observe your flock. It not only will tell you a lot, it's also lots of fun.

 

[KayNova]

I'm not sure I feel any better with the thought that she'll start believing that she's not good enough to eat food. This all breaks my heart. I don't know that I'm built for this chicken stuff. I hope I can resolve this before it's a real issue. I plan to hang a cabbage and get a flock block In the run to encourage them to leave the coop more.
We have 8 bovan brown hens. No roosters. They are 7 months old. Our coop is approx 8x5 with 3 roosts at various sizes and 6 nesting boxes. Our run is approx 10x20. There are things to do in the run but it's getting them out there right now. Do yours like to go out in snow or single digits? The only thing I notice about her is her comb is considerably smaller than the others. I don't know if that means anything but it's just what I've noticed. Hmmm what info am I missing? I can get pics tomorrow. Oh, we only have one feeder. Should I get a second one maybe?