EMERGENCY! Pullet's head pecked open, hanging a by a flap of skin.

[chicken pickin]

If you don't remove one or both of your roosters from the flock the same thing is going to happen to each and every hen until you have none. 2roosters to 4hens (well now 3 hens) is a ratio that is setting your flock up for certain doom. Your hens are not safe with 2 roos. If you cant rehome the 2 roos you should try to add more hens.

 

[QueenofKings]

I mentioned this to the rest of the family and they are willing to have more hens. I know that the 1 roo to 10 hens is the most recommended.

Now I just need to find hens to buy.

 

[loveourbirds]

i breed just one hen to one rooster, up to 3 hens to one rooster with no problems. if you can separate the roosters, they will stop competing for the hens and the problem should stop.

 

[QueenofKings]

Separating? Such as separate coops and such, I'm assuming. I have enough room for that, so I should have time off tomorrow to go hen hunting in the rural area of town.

Thank you all for all the wonderful help!

 

[loveourbirds]

yes, separate coops, or if they are full blooded roosters you may be able to sell one on craigslist.

 

[QueenofKings]

In the end, we culled the rooster and I am now using RoosterRed's method on dealing with the other one. He pecked other hen today and I picked him and walked with him for a bit. I think he knows something is wrong, he keeps looking for his brother. We placed the hens in the coop and let him free range on his own for a while with his brother before the cull.

The hens are keeping the injured one company, she was feeling down yesterday since he couldn't join them on the roost. Right now they've all settled down and are a bit down. The rooster we kept has been crowing non stop since we took away his brother.

On the upside, we'll have some nice soup today. I'm also getting more hens as part of the deal with getting rid of the roo.

 

[QueenofKings]

Updating this thread, sorry for 'bumping'.

So, a month after, the pullet is happy and healthy. She free ranges, unlike her previous flockmates who are confined to their run. Now, there's one problem with this wonderful pullet of mine - since she has been away so long, none of the other hens recognize her. Further, she still has a bald patch at the top of her head where the skin was ripped out. Is she now in a similar situation like my cat?

My cat is the 'roo' of the flock at night, he deals with racoons, other cats, etc. and has several 'battle' scars, the most notable being on the left side of his face where is torn away by a coon and then stitched up to force the skin to join again. (This particularly injury happened twice btw.) However, he only has a touch of fuzz. Similarly, the pullet is now sporting a bright, pink patch on her head, just under her comb. When can I expect feathers to come in?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

...When can I expect feathers to come in?

Sorry, probably never.

 

[loveourbirds]

sometimes they dont come back, but usually they come back in a couple of months. most of the time only part of them come back, if you show chickens; this one wouldnt show well. but should be fine as a breeder or layer.

 

[QueenofKings]

Thank you.
Since reading this, the family consensus was that there was no point in keeping her in the back any longer, so we tossed her back in the coop once the other chickens for asleep. Now, is the nerve wrecking wait to make sure it doesn't happen again.