EE hen pecked on her wing joints. What to do?

[oregonkat]

I have an EE hen who is now bald on her 'elbow' joint on her wings. I have tried slathering the areas with Vaseline, then with Neosporin but it didnt seem to make any difference, she is still raw. Should I try to wrap the wing in something? She eats and behaves normally. Diet is free range and Scratch and Peck organic layer feed and veggie scraps from the kitchen so I don't think there is a deficiency but I am not an expert in this stuff by any means. I have a saddle on her as she was one of the roos favorites, but it does not cover the wing joint obviously. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Rob Tof]

You need to separate her from the others that’s the first thing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I agree with @Rob Tof separate her to give her a rest. OR separate the Rooster and give him a time out.

The bald wing joints is from mating - you say she is the rooster's favorite.

Broken feathers and areas where the shaft of broken feathers are left intact will not grow in new feathers until she goes through a molt. Ointments/vaseline can be used to help soothe the skin, but won't help regrow feathers.

 

[oregonkat]

Thank you for the replies. I will separate her along with her best friend so she has company.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for the replies. I will separate her along with her best friend so she has company.

Separating for a time and letting her rest is a good idea. Just be aware that your rooster will most likely find a new "favorite" during this time period. Watch your girls behaviors, if they seem stressed, not eating/drinking or start to refuse to come off the roosts in the mornings (because of him) then separate him.

You don't mention his age - but if he under 1yr of age, he is really hormone driven. As they age, they do become a bit more mellow, but mornings and evenings are an active time for the fellas (not to mention sometimes during the day). You may find that you only need to separate him for a few hours in the morning to give the girls a break, then let him with them for the rest of the day.

Just some thoughts.

 

[oregonkat]

He is young. DOB this past May. The interesting thing about this is that he is in with 17 hens. I did have another roo, from the same hatch that used and abused another hen in this flock and actually tore her sides open (she has since healed and is fine BTW) so I got rid of him in favor of the one that I now have. He does not seem to bother any of the other hens although he does mate with them which made me wonder originally if one of the other hens was the culprit for my EE having raw elbows. I have had BCM roosters in the past and absolutely loved them for the very reason that they seemed to be so gentle with my hens. I lost my last BCM roo to a bear last year which broke my heart so I am hoping that this guy will prove to be a good replacement. I can sequester him in the mornings as you suggest and see if the EE's condition improves.

 

[sourland]

I'd go in another direction. I'd remove the rooster from the flock until he matures and hopefully improves his technique.