Does anyone know what may have happened here?

[RoyalChick]

The comb and wattles are very vascular and can bleed a lot from a relatively minor wound.
My Maggie had blood literally dripping from her wattles one night - in the end I figured she actually just scratched her head (as they sometimes do) and caught a toenail in a fold in her wattles.
Give her something like Nutridrench or even Gatorade or sugar water to trat her for shock. Clean her up and keep her nice and quiet and calm. In with the flock but separated so they can’t attack the blood would be ideal.
In Maggie’s case she was back to her normal self by morning.

 

[cackleberryandco]

Comb injury and pulled feathers make me think it was a flock bully. Back when I had shavers, my head hen would always go for the combs.

The presence if blood may provoke another attack. You said they're a bit on edge from boredom? Do they have enough run space for everyone? Areas where they can run to break line of sight and not get cornered? Multiple feed and water stations?

Might be time to crack out the boredom busters and keep everyone too distracted to get up to no good. If she is no longer in shock and is drinking, I'd really work on correcting the environment to deter further attacks and keep an eye on her behavior.

Also, check her overall body condition at the breast\keel bone. Compare to a healthy hen of the same breed or similar build. The bone should not be very prominent, though sticks out more with hybrid layers and less with heavy breeds. If it's a bully situation, she may be being kept from the feeder, so do be mindful of this. Does she gorge herself if you offer her food out of sight of the rest of the flock?

I still just cannot think it could be from another hen! Peck is my "head hen". But with the lack of other options it's hard to think of much else.

They never had issues until recently so I assume it's just boredom from being stuck in the coop/run all day, spring fever, usually they're allowed free ranging time. I currently have two feeders and one waterer, but if I need more, I definitely can get some more. They do have places to hide. Are there any types of toys/treats I can give them so they're entertained even when I'm not home? It's definitely a super not-ideal situation, but unfortunately there isn't much I can do and I'd like to help as much as I can.

She is asleep right now and I am not home, but first thing tomorrow morning I will check her out! I'll check her keel bone and I'll check to make sure she doesn't gorge herself with me and to make sure she is allowed eating.

 

[cackleberryandco]

The comb and wattles are very vascular and can bleed a lot from a relatively minor wound.
My Maggie had blood literally dripping from her wattles one night - in the end I figured she actually just scratched her head (as they sometimes do) and caught a toenail in a fold in her wattles.
Give her something like Nutridrench or even Gatorade or sugar water to trat her for shock. Clean her up and keep her nice and quiet and calm. In with the flock but separated so they can’t attack the blood would be ideal.
In Maggie’s case she was back to her normal self by morning.

That would definitely explain the bleeding! But not the missing feathers.. . I gave her some electrolytes in water, I'm hoping she'll be okay by morning. She got lots of time today in the house to relax and nap after her warm bath. Is Aspirin okay to give her for pain? In a certain dosage? I've heard things about that, is it worth researching?

 

[RoyalChick]

That would definitely explain the bleeding! But not the missing feathers.. . I gave her some electrolytes in water, I'm hoping she'll be okay by morning. She got lots of time today in the house to relax and nap after her warm bath. Is Aspirin okay to give her for pain? In a certain dosage? I've heard things about that, is it worth researching?

So sorry, I must have been reading too fast and didn't spot the missing feathers bit. Apologies. I don't know about aspirin worth researching here and on places like the Merck veterinary manual in case birds have a reaction to aspirin.

 

[NatJ]

Are there any types of toys/treats I can give them so they're entertained even when I'm not home?

If you don't already have several places for them to perch in the run, you might add some. That gives them a place to sit and relax other than the ground, so they aren't all staring at each other so much. Some chickens also seem to play by jumping or flying from one perch to another.

Chickens usually like to scratch and forage. So they would probably like anything interesting to scratch through: a pile of dead leaves, or a bale of straw to pull apart, or a few shovels from a compost pile, or some clumps of sod, etc. If you are in the habit of throwing compost materials in your run, they can eat some of what you throw in, keep the rest mixed up, and eat any bugs & worms that grow in the compost. ("Compost materials" to throw in the run could include things like vegetable trimmings from the kitchen, weeds pulled from the garden, used bedding from the coop, etc.)

Chickens like to spend time dust bathing, so make sure they've got a suitable spot for that too.

(I don't know what you already have in your coop and run, so I may have suggested some things you already provide.)

 

[cackleberryandco]

If you don't already have several places for them to perch in the run, you might add some. That gives them a place to sit and relax other than the ground, so they aren't all staring at each other so much. Some chickens also seem to play by jumping or flying from one perch to another.

Chickens usually like to scratch and forage. So they would probably like anything interesting to scratch through: a pile of dead leaves, or a bale of straw to pull apart, or a few shovels from a compost pile, or some clumps of sod, etc. If you are in the habit of throwing compost materials in your run, they can eat some of what you throw in, keep the rest mixed up, and eat any bugs & worms that grow in the compost. ("Compost materials" to throw in the run could include things like vegetable trimmings from the kitchen, weeds pulled from the garden, used bedding from the coop, etc.)

Chickens like to spend time dust bathing, so make sure they've got a suitable spot for that too.

(I don't know what you already have in your coop and run, so I may have suggested some things you already provide.)

More perching spots! That's an awesome idea!!! We surrounded their coop/run with hay and straw bales over the winter to block out wind so I definitely have plenty of both hay and straw laying around my yard.. I was always afraid it would be harmful for them to potentially eat, but if not, I could do that? I do have plenty of healthy fruit and veggie scraps I could throw them too. Maybe I'll look into chicken toys that they can peck at too. They have adequate spots for dust bathing, and today they were all doing it together. Thank you!!

 

[Lizzy733]

People do recommend aspirin, but it is poorly absorbed and does very little to alleviate pain. The only painkiller we used during my time at bird rescue was cam\com family painkillers like: meloxicam direct dosed orally by bird weight. 1.5ml suspension, I think but can't remember the exact dosage off the top of my head. I think a 500g kereru would get around .6ml if I remember correctly.

And for amusement, all the things mentioned in previous posts are idea. - it's okay if she does gorge herself, but can give you a clue she's not comfortable eating around the others... Just keep a close eye on her and observe the flock's behavior to see if you can suss out a possible bully.

 

[Sylie]

You seem sure that it was not another hen, I just thought maybe to remind you that challenges to position in the flock are common, someone may have decided they wanted their day in the top spot. My top hen had half of her comb ripped off by a challenger (yes, it was a bloodbath, took me hours to clean all of the blood out of the coop). She did lose her spot as top hen. I hope that is not the case here and that her scratching is what did it but don't rule out the possibilities of a challenger, if she didn't lose her spot to another hen she could be in for another challenge in the future.

Definitely try some of the amusement ideas given here, they are all great fun for the girls!
good luck and keep us posted!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

People do recommend aspirin, but it is poorly absorbed and does very little to alleviate pain

Also pain is a message that slows us down and prevents further injury, not the great evil we make it out to be.

Raccoons are notorious for ripping heads off through chicken wire or wire fencing.. possible there was a near miss?? I've had 2 birds scalped and lived.

I just thought maybe to remind you that challenges to position in the flock are common, someone may have decided they wanted their day in the top spot.

I also see pecking order as very VERY dynamic and was also thinking about mentioning it.

They never had issues until recently so I assume it's just boredom from being stuck in the coop/run all day, spring fever, usually they're allowed free ranging time.

All my animals make trouble when they're bored. My kids did to.. and man, I'm about to raise some spring fever cane myself!

Hope she improves recovers quickly!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I use straw and hay in my coop with no problems so don't worry about that. Whenever I clean the coop I throw a pile of the used bedding into the run for them to scratch through. Half of an old wooden ladder makes a great perch if you can find one-i have one of those in the run and a big closet dowel. My birds are in cramped quarters right now and they arent picking on each other. Maybe because of the extra perches and maybe because I have pretty docile breeds. I also give them wet feed every couple days in addition to their usual pellets but normally they only have one feeding station and do fine but if I suspect trouble (like right now one hen is hanging back a little occasionally) I add a feeding station. One fun thing a day seems to keep mine happy