This is a totally excellent post, Kris - informative and with good pictures and descriptions! I am bookmarking it. Thank you very, very much for slaving over it, and I know you did slave over it. Thank you!
Today when I came back from the vets (kitty cat Big Boy is doing fine, so got all his shots, they want to check his urine for struvites in 6 weeks, give him more time on the new diet) I looked at every hen top to bottom, focusing on feet and head. Found that Butters has a broken nail on her right foot, the "thumb" toe. I can't tell how old it is, but it's the last 1/3 to 1/2 that's broken. That would explain the blood and why there was not actually that much, and nowhere but on the snow and then the roosting bars. Everyone and everything else looks good. Well, Butters has more poop collected near her vent, may bathe her tomorrow or the next day. But other than that I found nothing. Poops from last night look fine. Her nail could very well explain it!
Edit to add - I'm thinking that the gray roost bars may be making the blood look pinker than it is. It looks like Sammy's chest.
