Bloody head?

[Mrs. K]

Very cold here, and we have been gone. Son caring for flock.

Today when I go down, I see some blood on the bedding below the roosts. Find a chicken with just a bloody head, but not torn or anything, under a bench. Is that a mink? or weasel? no damage to the body. Really not any damage to the head, just blood all around it.

To me the blood beneath the roost suggests it happen while on the roost, but then did she crawl under the bench and die? Generally when I get a predator, I lose more than one bird.

The cold could not make her hemorrhage?

mrs K

 

[Welshies]

Mink or weasel would kill ALL birds. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Mrs. K]

Loss of all birds or nearly all birds has been my experience. But the blood on upper neck and head confuses me.

 

[CSS]

Very cold here, and we have been gone. Son caring for flock.

Today when I go down, I see some blood on the bedding below the roosts. Find a chicken with just a bloody head, but not torn or anything, under a bench. Is that a mink? or weasel? no damage to the body. Really not any damage to the head, just blood all around it.

To me the blood beneath the roost suggests it happen while on the roost, but then did she crawl under the bench and die? Generally when I get a predator, I lose more than one bird.

The cold could not make her hemorrhage?

mrs K

Sorry. The cold could prevent her from bleeding out. Our neighbors recently lost chickens we think to a bobcat. Very sad.
One chicken was eaten and the other left, but killed. Both were on the roost.

 

[Mrs. K]

Just a single chicken, no feathers all over, other birds not upset. If she did not have blood on her head, I would think that she just froze to death. It is bitter cold here. But ?

 

[Hybridchucks]

So sorry for your loss

 

[Mrs. K]

thank you

 

[Sneebsey]

It sounds to me like the rest of the flock may have attacked her, particularly if she was hiding under a bench. It could be that she had a bit of frostbite, which, when bleeding, can cause others to gang up. I like to treat it with antiseptic spray; we have a coloured one which also has the effect of turning the injury blue, which can help deter pecking.

 

[Hybridchucks]

If chickens see blood on another chicken or animal will they peck at that place?

 

[besorto]

Poor baby! I'm sorry for your loss. My rooster has frostbite on his comb so I've been applying Neosporin and vaseline as often as possible.