Mildly Cranky
In the Brooder
I have 10 young hens, about 7 months old. I got them all at once from a small, local hatchery, and they were 4 months old. A few came to me with bare butts. The hatchery lady said that it was common for older hens to pick on pullets and one reason she included those for me was because I had no older hens. I was ok with this. They settled in nicely and eventually became proper hens. They've been blessedly boring for the most part.
However...one of these hens can't catch a break. Sunny has somehow become the target of everyone else and she still has a bare butt. Several weeks ago I had to separate her into a hospital area because she was bleeding. This area is a tall, wire dog fence so she can be in the run and interact and be seen. The injury was nothing bad, but you know how they are at the sight of blood. After several days, she recovered and I took down the barrier. All was well for a few weeks. New feathers were coming in, but slowly.
Today, Sunny's butt is bleeding again and I have her back in her hospital area. Why they left her alone for weeks, I don't know. Once again the injury is not bad. But they are possessed maniacs seeing blood, so she has to be separated. Can I do anything else to help out? I don't think so. I can't make feathers grow. She's on a 20% protein feed and has dried fly treats daily. I go out and talk to all of them many times a day and feel guilty that she's isolated, but I don't think I can do anything else to help her grow her feathers. I know many use Blu-Kote but I know it's painful and I've read it's not a good idea, so I'm not inclined to paint her. I'm using Veterycin, but the issue is not the injury. It's the lack of feathers. Any other ideas?
However...one of these hens can't catch a break. Sunny has somehow become the target of everyone else and she still has a bare butt. Several weeks ago I had to separate her into a hospital area because she was bleeding. This area is a tall, wire dog fence so she can be in the run and interact and be seen. The injury was nothing bad, but you know how they are at the sight of blood. After several days, she recovered and I took down the barrier. All was well for a few weeks. New feathers were coming in, but slowly.
Today, Sunny's butt is bleeding again and I have her back in her hospital area. Why they left her alone for weeks, I don't know. Once again the injury is not bad. But they are possessed maniacs seeing blood, so she has to be separated. Can I do anything else to help out? I don't think so. I can't make feathers grow. She's on a 20% protein feed and has dried fly treats daily. I go out and talk to all of them many times a day and feel guilty that she's isolated, but I don't think I can do anything else to help her grow her feathers. I know many use Blu-Kote but I know it's painful and I've read it's not a good idea, so I'm not inclined to paint her. I'm using Veterycin, but the issue is not the injury. It's the lack of feathers. Any other ideas?
