Help, hen is bloodied on her head

[cafarmgirl]

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

I think you will probably be happier with a hen only flock. I've had roosters for years and I'm feeling the same way, I'm just so over it! When the rooster I have now is eventually gone there won't be any more.

Good luck with your new coop/run and new hens!

 

[crowcreek]

Thank you, yes I hope they all do ok without a rooster. My husbands first response was oh no, now we will not have eggs! I explained and he then said "ok well good ridden's then". The hen that was closest to him seems a little off today. I hope she doesn't make herself sick.

 

[Michael Apple]

It has been my experience to see a rooster as keeping order in the flock. They will break up fights, alert them to danger, and protect them. Hens have a tendency to squabble more without a rooster around. With only a few pullets of a similar breed raised together, it may be less likely though. I've had a flock of 50 and have lessened numbers over time.

 

[crowcreek]

My new coop will be a two story 4X8 with 24/7 access to a 14X16 run plus getting out to the yard when I am home. In the winter that is only weekends and for about an hour or two in the evenings. I teach so in the summer it is significantly more. I am getting 6 pullets sometime in May. When they become about 6 weeks I will build them a "playpen" inside the run so everyone can see each other but no contact. In the evening I will put them up into a sectioned off area of the coop (again look but no touch). It will be summer by this time so I can hand transfer them from the outside area to their coop section each morning and night. I am hoping that by the time I go back to school in September they will be large enough to join the others.
I am waiting to hear what varieties my local feed store will have in May. They are very knowledgable and have decent quality chicks. I would like to get two different breeds. Hoping for black Astrolourps and Americaunas (sp). We will see.
Does this sound like a good plan? Should I post this part in another section?

 

[cafarmgirl]

It does sound like a good plan. Your integration should go a lot easier since your chicks will have spent several weeks in their own part of the run next to the older birds. That is how I integrate and I have only very minor pecking order scuffles when I finally do let everybody mingle, when the youngters are about 12 weeks old. Having mulitple new birds also helps.

 

[crowcreek]

Great, so before I am gone all day I should have time to integrate with supervision. When I know what breeds will be available I will post in a different section to get everyone's thought on which would go well with my Brahmas.

 

[Dustieburk]

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.

I agree !