Help, hen is bloodied on her head

[crowcreek]

SIZE=3]I got home today and went to let my three hens and one rooster out of their 4x8 tractor and one was not moving around much. When I opened the door she came right to me but had blood all over her head and beak. Her wattles looked bruised and swollen. The other two hens and rooster did not come out of the coop like they always do. When they finally did after some coaxing they hurried over the threshold lie they were scared of something. They all look fine. I don't see signs of something getting into the coop but it is always possible I guess. No digging or disruption to the coop. My injured girl Is a 1 year old buff Brahma and the boss hen. I don't see any bite marks but she is not well. She went to a bush in the yard and is staying there. I took a soft cloth and tried to wipe her up some. She seems to swallow weird every now and then and closes her eyes for a moment.

What can I do for her?[/SIZE]

 

[RileyCalanchini]

It was probably the rooster. The roosters sometimes have to show dominance.

 

[cafarmgirl]

It sounds like she may have been pecked by the others. You can wash the area with warm water or saline and apply plain Neosporin (not the kind with pain reliever). Then keep her warm and quiet and just let her recover. They usually heal pretty quickly. She will need to stay away from the others until her wound dries up some so they don't peck at it. Apply some Blu Kote to help hide it from them. Space may be an issue with this flock, a 4x8 space is not much room for four chickens to be in most of the day. A larger run for them to be in would probably be a very good idea.

 

[RileyCalanchini]

It sounds like she may have been pecked by the others. You can wash the area with warm water or saline and apply plain Neosporin (not the kind with pain reliever). Then keep her warm and quiet and just let her recover. They usually heal pretty quickly. She will need to stay away from the others until her wound dries up some so they don't peck at it. Apply some Blu Kote to help hide it from them. Space may be an issue with this flock, a 4x8 space is not much room for four chickens to be in most of the day. A larger run for them to be in would probably be a very good idea.

Agreed!

 

[crowcreek]

Thanks for the quick reply. I was just out with her and she is seeming a bit better. Walking around and pecking at the ground. The rooster does have some blood by one of his spurs.
What was weir was that the others seemed afraid to come our of the coop. They never do that. They usually run me over when I open the door. This hen is very insistent that the rooster not try to mount her. He is a bantam and she litter lay just bucks him off. Maybe he got tired of that.
I am in the process of turning the tractor into a two story stationary coop with a 12X16 run that they can be in all day. I was going to reinforce the whole thing so I did not even have to shut them up. The run and coop would be predator proofed. I want to get a few more hens too so the two he is constantly bothering and pulling on their head feathers will have some relief. He is a very good rooster and keeps a vigilant watch over them so I hate to get rid of him.
I will run to the feed store and get some blue cote. As long as they are outside they seem to be happy together. I think I have the plain neosporine here.
Thank you so much. She is my favorite girl and I would be heart broken if something happened to her.

 

[crowcreek]

Ok so it definitely was the rooster who attached my hen. The injured hen physically seemed much better but was clearly terrified of Vincent the rest of the evening. She separated herself from him and the other two. If he approached she ran away and hid. After everyone went up to bed she crept up there and they all went to sleep.
I got up early and let them out. She still stayed separate except for one time she got a little close and he attached her. I immediately put my coop divider in and caught him and put him in one half by himself. The three are back together in the yard. He is very upset for obvious reasons. I am thinking of giving him to the last guy who took his brother who became very aggressive toward me , if he will take him. Will this behavior end? I am so tired of rooster problems. He is my third and I though I had a good one but I never want another rooster. All my friends have nice ones but I can't seem to get one.

Any advice????

 

[ChickenGirl1402]

Do you know what breed your rooster is? How large are his spurs? Does he act aggressive to any of the other birds in the flock? Will he chase after you? Other wise if he seems to be beating up any of the other birds separate him and then try to start "re-training" him. By that I mean, try to get him used to you and keep him out for at least 2 weeks, then slowly re-introduce him into the flock again. I would also recommend getting a larger chicken tractor.

~Naomi

 

[crowcreek]

Vincant is a one year old d'Uccle. He is not aggressive toward me and he loves the other chickens. They will let him mate though and Olive (the one he is attaching) will not let him mate that I can see. She has always chaced him off her. They have not had any other problems that I have ever seen. I introduced him and his brother when they were all about four months old. I was told they were pullets, HA, not! His brother became aggressive toward me and so a farm down the road took him. They like him. He would probably take this one too.
The two hen he likes are staying close to him now still. They are just out side his coop area. Olive is afraid to come near him still even though he is locked up. She has always been the strong one. It is upsetting to see her like this.

 

[Michael Apple]

In most cases 4 hens per rooster is not enough. 10 hens per rooster works well from what I've experienced over the years. The hens are happier with less wear and tear on their bodies. A 4x8 tractor is not enough room. Crowded conditions create stressful behavior like picking, egg breaking, etc. Even in a large coop, birds do not like to be confined once the sun comes up. Mine are out with fresh feed and water before sunup, and secured in the coop at sundown. Mixing certain breeds is not a good idea either. For example, a large breed rooster with smaller breed hens can injure or kill hens. Too small a rooster with large hens makes it difficult to mount, and injuries occur from the rooster by repeated attempts of grabbing with his beak, or spurs from positioning feet to mount. I prefer to keep spurs filed round at the end to prevent injuries also. I hope that information is helpful.

 

[crowcreek]

Yes this all helps. I contacted the farmer down the road and he is happy to take this one. I know they are well caed for and have a ton of space. He is on 20 acres. I am getting more hens and enlarging my coop and adding a run to accommodate more hens. I will post in another area about specifics and get more advice on this before I do too much. I value all the advice I get on here. I am only one year into having chickens and so as a newbie I know I know nothing