Hen picked on by other hens and bleeding

[marierachel17]

Hi! i recently got 8 hens a month or two ago (but they’re fully grown). there are around three who are constantly picked on by the others. a couple weeks ago, my white americana went through a molt and lost some feathers (but she has a ton to begin with so there weren’t many noticeable patches when she molted). that being said, i did notice the other birds pecking at those few areas. I stopped them when i noticed it happening but it wasn’t too bad, never any blood and she was already at the bottom of the order, so i expected this. now, another one of my hens is molting and has far fewer feathers to begin with. she lost a ton and has several very large patches where you can see the roots of her new feathers trying to grow in. almost all the other hens are constantly picking those areas, and i noticed multiple drops of blood in different places. i’m really worried about her because i know the scent/sight of blood strongly encourages cannibalism in chickens, and being stuck in a coop while it snowed all day today isn’t helping. they also got moved into a larger coop very recently so i can assume this is probably making the stress and bullying worse. i decided to put rosalita (the one molting) into the old, smaller coop because we still had it in the yard and i needed her to heal a bit before deciding what to do next. she’s just been resting for a couple hours there on her own (very happy to have a break from the other girls!) i’m really not sure what to do and i’ve heard reintroducing a hen back into the mix after a quarantine can be even more damaging. i’ve read more hiding places in the coop or vapor rub to distract from the blood smell can help, but i’m really not sure what the best way to go about doing any of this is. yikes, sorry this was so long! any help or tips are greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I try not to isolate a chicken outside of the coop if possible. I will keep the chicken in a dog crate with its own food and water.
Hiding places and roosts in the run helps. So does toys/food.

 

[One Lucky Momma]

Do you have access to a feed or pet store where you can get Blu-coat or a similar product? It’s purpose is to medicate and prevent infection, but also, and perhaps more importantly, it hides the reddened nature of the wound and makes the taste of the “peck” less palatable.

As undesirable as it might be, isolating the hen may be critical to giving the wounds healing time. You can try leaving her in a separate but adjacent enclosure so she’s not too far from the others but out of the way of their harassment; this may facilitate a smoother reintroduction.

Good luck. You sound like a great chickmom!

 

[marierachel17]

Do you have access to a feed or pet store where you can get Blu-coat or a similar product? It’s purpose is to medicate and prevent infection, but also, and perhaps more importantly, it hides the reddened nature of the wound and makes the taste of the “peck” less palatable.

As undesirable as it might be, isolating the hen may be critical to giving the wounds healing time. You can try leaving her in a separate but adjacent enclosure so she’s not too far from the others but out of the way of their harassment; this may facilitate a smoother reintroduction.

Good luck. You sound like a great chickmom!

my mom is actually at the store getting Blu-cote right now! we’re planning on applying it tonight if it’s light enough when she gets back, or tomorrow. tmr morning might be better anyway to give the hen a break from all the stress. currently she is in a coop attached to a small enclosed area and won’t come out (i don’t blame her!), i’ll add a picture. she’s nearby the other girls so she can hear them but they can’t get to her. should i plan on putting her in the bigger coop with the others to sleep, or should i keep her separate? i’m a little worried about leaving them all together overnight. thank you!!

 

[RainbowHen]

How large is your coop? What do you feed? Picking almost always begins when the birds are too cramped or are not being fed enough protein. 8 hens should have a minimum of 32 sq feet of floor space (not including nesting boxes) in their coop and 80 sq feet of outdoor run space.

 

[One Lucky Momma]

Omg! Look at your snow!

Can you bring your girl inside for the night? If possible, I would hold her apart from the others until th Blu-coat has had a day to work .
Good luck!

 

[marierachel17]

How large is your coop? What do you feed? Picking almost always begins when the birds are too cramped or are not being fed enough protein. 8 hens should have a minimum of 32 sq feet of floor space (not including nesting boxes) in their coop and 80 sq feet of outdoor run space.

I believe our coop is 32 not including laying boxes, so right around the minimum recommended. they go out in the 300 square ft run daily (plus free ranging 3 or 4 days a week in our large fenced in yard). i posted another time about my feed and several people said it was a very good mix (i also give them seeds, animal protein, and veggies often). i doubt this is the issue so it’s good to narrow down the possible problems. thank you for your input, good to know!

 

[marierachel17]

Omg! Look at your snow!

Can you bring your girl inside for the night? If possible, I would hold her apart from the others until th Blu-coat has had a day to work .
Good luck!

Do you mean inside the house in a dog crate/pen or something? I would be willing to bring her in but i don’t think my parents would agree to that and it seems like that could cause more stress. I’m planning to do the blu-kote tomorrow morning and let her stay in the smaller, closed off (away from the rest of the flock) area in the yard for at least half a day. do you think that’s sufficient? thank you for the response!!

 

[One Lucky Momma]

Sorry so late.

If this were unfolding at my house, you could most certainly bring the chicken inside. But I realize not everyone is so inclined to have house birds (and I sincerely do not mean to disrespect your parents. My husband would not be keen to halve a chicken in the house, either.)

can you have her in the same coop as the others but in a dog or cat crate or something that would accomplish the same goal of having her close by the other birds but out of any potential hostile reach? That would be ideal. If that’s not doable, just check on her tonight and then very early in the morning as they’re starting to stir, hopefully before any of your aggressors get any ideas.

Good luck! You’re a great Chickmom!

 

[rosemarythyme]

How badly was she bleeding? If the damage isn't too bad (a few spots here is ok, dripping blood or larger areas of damage are not) then I'd reconsider separating her. Some of my hens do get curiosity pecked from the others during molt, but a little blood has never caused them to turn to cannibalism.

That said, the way you have it set up right now should work, though (and I don't know how heavy that small coop is) I'd personally want to move it closer to where the other coop is, just in case the others don't want to trek out in the snow, they can still see her very easily. Makes for a much easier reintegration if the injured bird is readily in line of sight of the others.

You do have some clutter in the run with the pallets, though I'd be tempted to add a little more, just to help give her more options in case the pecking continues once she's back with the group.