Help, roosters pecked hole in hens neck!

[jenkorrell]

I have 6 silkies, 2 hens and 4 roosters, didn't plan that! I went out to put them in their coop for the night and found my little hen with a hole in her neck The roosters have been showing aggression towards each other lately I'm not sure what to do, she's in the house tonight, she's acting okay but it's a deep hole and there are no vets that treat chickens anywhere near me. Advise for her and the fate of the roosters? She's such a sweet girl.

 

[LJoWilly]

Oh no... I have never had to deal with something like this, but I hopefully someone here can offer better advice.. Praying for your bird!!

 

[TwinsLoveChicks]

Is she eating and drinking? Vetericyn Poultry Care Spray helped to heal my hen after a dog attack, and it's also for pecking wounds. I'm sorry that I can't help more.
As for the roosters you can try to rehome them, I don't know.
I'm sorry I can't help you more, I hope that your sweet girl will recover quickly!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 1096033 View attachment 1096033 I have 6 silkies, 2 hens and 4 roosters, didn't plan that! I went out to put them in their coop for the night and found my little hen with a hole in her neck The roosters have been showing aggression towards each other lately I'm not sure what to do, she's in the house tonight, she's acting okay but it's a deep hole and there are no vets that treat chickens anywhere near me. Advise for her and the fate of the roosters? She's such a sweet girl.

Flush the wound with saline, diluted betadine or soapy water (use something like Dial soap). Apply some triple antibiotic ointment or Vetericyn to the wound.
You can cut some of the feathers away from the wound to keep it cleaner if you need to.

Keep her hydrated - if you have poultry vitamins offer those for a couple of days. Silkies are very susceptible to head injuries because of the hole in their skull, so watch for signs of lethargy, going off feed, loss of balance, etc.

How old are the roosters? It sounds like you may have 4young cockerels coming into maturity. They will start fighting over the girls and one another - injuring themselves and the girls in the process. It would be best to separate them from one another until you can determine which one you want to keep.

 

[jenkorrell]

Thank you everyone. She is eating and drinking. They are around 22 weeks. I don't have anywhere to separate them so I'm going to have to figure that out, guessing you don't think I will be able to keep all 4 roosters? Never getting chickens from tractor supply again I always end up with roosters.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you everyone. She is eating and drinking. They are around 22 weeks. I don't have anywhere to separate them so I'm going to have to figure that out, guessing you don't think I will be able to keep all 4 roosters? Never getting chickens from tractor supply again I always end up with roosters.

Depending on what breeds you choose at Tractor Supply they are "straight run" - meaning they are unsexed (boys and girls mixed) , so it's the luck of the draw.

In your first post you stated: ""The roosters have been showing aggression towards each other lately""" This is only my opinion, you are already seeing what is to come. They will start fighting - regardless of breed. Some people are able to have more than one rooster, but they have more hens and usually free range or have separate pens/housing.

It stinks that you ended up with so many roosters, but trying to find a home for at least 3 would be your best bet.

 

[buterflysbeauty]

I'm sorry for your little girls injury. If you have a separate "bachlor pad" thenit MIGHT work for the roos but you'd have to google that and see if it's right for you.

You will need to take BOTH hens away from the roos so your other hen doesn't get hurt. You can use a dog crate as temp housing at night for the hens.

 

[jenkorrell]

I have her in the old brooder which is very big, outside I have two separate chicken coops a large shed with 9 older hens and a med size coop that houses the silkies and 6 19 week old various breed hens. Daytime they all free range together, older hens are boss. I thought about putting 2 roosters in each coop but don't want to aggravate my older hens, they are my egg layers. Also for my injured hen should I put shavings in her brooder, wasn't sure having the antibiotic cream on her neck? Thank you all!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Any way you can separate the males would be good. Dog crates work well.

You can put bedding in your injured ones crate if you like, I don't see that being a problem.

 

[jenkorrell]

Thanks again, I have 3 roosters in separate pens. Left the gentle rooster with the younger hens, housed 2 roosters with my older hens (in cages) they are not happy about it. No one is happy here and I hate it. I miss the carefree free range days of my all my feathered babies.