Chicken cannibalism took my chicken, how to prevent from spreading?

[emmash]

Hi! I have five chickens in my small flock, and about a week ago one of my RIRs was being picked on her tail area. It was quite minor, a few broken quills and minimal bleeding, so I didn't worry about it and I let her be. She was fine for a few days, then two days ago she started bleeding a little more, but they don't like me getting close to them and I didn't know what to do, so I just let her be. Yesterday she was staying in a corner and I went to check on her and her whole tail was bloody, no feathers, and I think her skin was pecked off in places too. I didn't know what to do, came inside to research some. I told my dad, and he said he'd take care of her in the morning cuz it was dark. She died last night, and she looked worse.

I don't want this to happen again, is there anything I can do to prevent it from spreading to the other chickens?

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Get rid of the RIR for starters. Make sure they have plenty of space, places to hide and not be trapped. More room is better.

Sorry you lost one chicken but I think you need to get rid of the bully too.

Gary

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi! I have five chickens in my small flock, and about a week ago one of my RIRs was being picked on her tail area. It was quite minor, a few broken quills and minimal bleeding, so I didn't worry about it and I let her be. She was fine for a few days, then two days ago she started bleeding a little more, but they don't like me getting close to them and I didn't know what to do, so I just let her be. Yesterday she was staying in a corner and I went to check on her and her whole tail was bloody, no feathers, and I think her skin was pecked off in places too. I didn't know what to do, came inside to research some. I told my dad, and he said he'd take care of her in the morning cuz it was dark. She died last night, and she looked worse. I know if I tried harder I could have done something, but my parents don't care about them enough to take them inside or anything and I don't know how to pick then up.
I don't want this to happen again, is there anything I can do to prevent it from spreading to the other chickens?

I'm sorry for your loss

Can you post some photos of your coop/run and tell us the dimensions (sqft) of each.
What type of food/treats do you feed?
How old are your chickens?

With more information we may be able to help you come up with some solutions.

 

[NNYchick]

I am sorry you lost a chicken. Above information is important to get down to the fact there maybe an environmental or nutritional reason for the picking (cannibalism). Another reason is she may have been ill and the flock mentality is that ill chickens attract predators and they push that member away for the safety of the flock. One thing you can do is start to get the other chickens use to you so you can handle them on your own and do health checks regularly or care for one that is injured.
It takes patients but you can start by sitting in the run with them and sprinkle a treat like scratch or mealworms around your feet, once they are comfortable with coming near you try putting the treats in your hand and feeding them. don't rush it let them get confident that they can trust you don't chase them or try to pet them till they are comfortable. There are some good videos on UTube to show you how to hold a chicken. There are also good articles on how to do a health check on a chicken like checking for mites, lice, monitoring poo, checking crop, eyes, comb etc..

 

[feathermaid]

Oh, I'm so sorry you lost one. Unfortunately it does happen to all of us at some point... that's how we learn to be better caretakers. And trying to figure out what happened is a huge step in the right direction.

Who knows exactly why this pecking/tail pulling started in the first place... sometimes other chickens sense a weakness or illness and just naturally peck them away. Sometimes it's just one bully that's a problem, it which case you could separate her from the flock for a week or so. That would change the flock pecking order somewhat while she was gone and her attitude is usually adjusted when she gets returned to the group. A good separation pen is a large wire dog crate. You could pick one up from Craigslist for fairly cheap.

I don't know how big your area is where your chickens live. The general rule is 4 sq ft per chicken inside the coop and 10 sq. ft per chicken outside. So for 5 hens, you would need a coop around 4'x5' and run space of at least 5'x10'. Without that much space, chickens feel cramped and just start pecking each other. And always make sure food is available free choice all day, two feeders is even better -to reduce territorial hogs.
read here: How Much Room Do Chickens Need

Another thing to remember if you ever see an injured chicken --remove her right away. Leaving them among the flock hardly ever resolves the problem and only makes her a target for further injury. I know they can be difficult to catch, the easiest way is at night when they're on the roost sleeping. But if you can't wait that long, just move slowly to block her in a corner, usually a laying hen will crouch with wings slightly spread for a moment-- this is a "submissive squat" reserved for a rooster to mount. Then quickly use one hand to press her back and the other hand to reach under with fingers spread between her legs and lift her belly. Let her feet dandle - if they touch anything she'll want to struggle... even so, just keep holding firmly and tuck her head under your elbow (the same side that's holding her belly) so that her tail end is facing front and her head is at your back. She should be tucked between your arm and body so that her wings are confined so she can't flap around. You can search YouTube for "How to hold a chicken".

Then once you have her, put her in that dog crate/hospital room to heal. If you must return her to the flock before fully feathered, you can apply Blue Kote to the wound. It's a blue-colored spray that hides the red area and deters the others from pecking. Chickens LOVE to peck at red things. And they're omnivores, so they like meat too, and their first taste of blood can be exciting. That's the reason for separating an injured chicken.

To keep it from happening again... just make sure they have enough space and always have food and water available. As long as everyone is in good health, all should be peaceful. Free range time is helpful too. Or adding extra perches or activities to the run to prevent boredom. I started a thread and other people have posted some great ideas for treats to keep chickens active:
Winter Treats and Boredom Busters
Hope that helps a little

edit* I see I took so long typing my answer, others already said basically the same thing!

 

[feathermaid]

Get rid of the RIR for starters. Make sure they have plenty of space, places to hide and not be trapped. More room is better.

Sorry you lost one chicken but I think you need to get rid of the bully too.

Gary

Not a very friendly answer for someone new trying to find help. The best solution is not just getting rid of the problem -- it's working to solve the problem!

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Not a very friendly answer for someone new trying to find help. The best solution is not just getting rid of the problem -- it's working to solve the problem!

Getting rid of the cannibal is a solution!

How is that not friendly? I was not mean about it just matter of fact. If you have a chicken that kills your other chickens that’s a bigger problem than worrying about how nice the solution sounds.

Gary

 

[kimber778]

I need help I have one chicken that is just laying down most of the time. The past three days. She is not egg binding. I checked. She is eating and drinking righ now. What else could it be.I am at a loss and I love my chickens and don't want to lose her PLEASE HELP

 

[feathermaid]

I need help I have one chicken that is just laying down most of the time. The past three days. She is not egg binding. I checked. She is eating and drinking righ now. What else could it be.I am at a loss and I love my chickens and don't want to lose her PLEASE HELP

I just saw this post... and your other thread, but I have to leave for a bit... I'll try to help when I get back.

 

[kimber778]

thank you so much!