Thanks for stopping by my post!
I have 11 hens, 5 prod. reds, and 6 mixed breeds(leghorn, RIR, BSL) The reds are about 2-3 weeks older than the other girls, but we never had issues merging the flocks.
They are all approaching or at laying age, I think I have 4, maybe 5 layers so far.
They free range all day, and seem to be very spoiled and happy, with a nice coop and large covered run.
Yesterday, I noticed my white leghorn Lucy had some blood on her head, so I picked her up and it appears as though one of the other chickens had been pecking at her comb. I threw out some treats to kinda gather everyone together and sure enough, one of the reds was trying to get at her again.
I asked a friend who also raises chickens what's going on and what I should do, and she said that it could be that Lucy's sick (she appears quite healthy and consistently lays everyday) or it could be a dominance thing and she may need to be separated for a few days. She also said to try adding some vinegar to their water(I've only heard of this when hatching).
I've heard of pecking etc., when they are too crowded, but when this happened, they were out free ranging. When in the coop, they are fairly inactive.
Why is she getting pecked at? and what do I do to stop it?
Should I try the vinegar idea?
Also, how should I treat the comb?
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