jhealey1967
Hatching
- Apr 18, 2020
- 1
- 0
- 3
Short version: A 2-year-old Plymouth Rock hen has an injured comb; it was torn nearly half-off last night in an attack. The hen, as of yet, appears unfazed by it. It is not gushing blood, but perhaps could get infected. She will be isolated from the others. Treatment advice is welcome. Complicating factor: I've never been able to physically catch her. See attached photo, below.
Long version:
The Chicken Gods are displeased with me this week, and have been inflicting their wrath upon my small, backyard flock of 4 hens, aged 2-5. First, I lost an otherwise previously healthy California Grey yesterday after an illness of <24 hours (generic symptoms; lethargic, etc.) She was 2 years old and had been a heavy layer, though had been escaping the run regularly despite clipped feathers, and could readily get over our 6.5' fence and into the neighbor's yard. I couldn't find any eggs from her for the better part of 2 weeks—not sure if she wasn't laying, or was laying somewhere unknown after escaping. I Fed-Ex'd her off to UC Davis and will (hopefully) find the likely cause in the coming days. She was found dead in the coop yesterday, with no obvious trauma.
This morning, I came to find my remaining hens in a disturbing state: feathers all over the coop, mostly from my cochin who appears to have lost 80% of her tail feathers. My fierce 5 year old Rhode Island Red (the top hen in the pecking order) had no visible injuries, though some dried blood atop her comb, but it didn't appear cut, one of her eyes seemed hurt, and her beak seemed ever so slightly askew, and open just a bit. But worst off was my Partridge Rock, who had her comb torn half off! And yet, of the three, she didn't seem the least bit disturbed by it, and was carrying on as if it were a normal day. The other two hens were distressed, though not immobilized.
I then looked around a bit and noticed that a board on the back of the coop had been ripped almost clear off, nails and all! I had noticed it had a bit of a crack at the joints in recent days and intended to get to it this weekend, but didn't imagine our measly city predators could rip it clear off, especially since the coop is nearly 3' off the ground on stilts. I checked our backyard security cameras and saw that an opossum had been in the yard around midnight; I can't say for certain that's what did it, as the camera is a good 30' from the coop, but the only other thing I can think of is that the hens got into a pecking order battle (the California Grey that died the day before had been solidly #2), and in the ruckus of it, had knocked the board off in the ensuing fight.
In any case, I need advice as to how to proceed with the Plymouth Rock and her injured comb, particularly since supplies are difficult to get at this time, for obvious reasons (the local feed store is open though, but online orders have become very slow I've noticed). It's not gushing blood, but is an open would. I do have a good supply of human meds, and some chicken meds, but would like advice in particular on how to dress/attend to the wound. I separated her from the others so as to prevent them from pecking at the injury, should they attempt to. I'll separate her at night as well. I would also like to add that this particular hen is the only one I've ever owned that is virtually 'uncatchable.' She's always been very high-strung and anti-social towards humans, and will run like the wind when I approach (the photo was taken from several feet away zoomed-in quite a bit...)
Long version:
The Chicken Gods are displeased with me this week, and have been inflicting their wrath upon my small, backyard flock of 4 hens, aged 2-5. First, I lost an otherwise previously healthy California Grey yesterday after an illness of <24 hours (generic symptoms; lethargic, etc.) She was 2 years old and had been a heavy layer, though had been escaping the run regularly despite clipped feathers, and could readily get over our 6.5' fence and into the neighbor's yard. I couldn't find any eggs from her for the better part of 2 weeks—not sure if she wasn't laying, or was laying somewhere unknown after escaping. I Fed-Ex'd her off to UC Davis and will (hopefully) find the likely cause in the coming days. She was found dead in the coop yesterday, with no obvious trauma.
This morning, I came to find my remaining hens in a disturbing state: feathers all over the coop, mostly from my cochin who appears to have lost 80% of her tail feathers. My fierce 5 year old Rhode Island Red (the top hen in the pecking order) had no visible injuries, though some dried blood atop her comb, but it didn't appear cut, one of her eyes seemed hurt, and her beak seemed ever so slightly askew, and open just a bit. But worst off was my Partridge Rock, who had her comb torn half off! And yet, of the three, she didn't seem the least bit disturbed by it, and was carrying on as if it were a normal day. The other two hens were distressed, though not immobilized.
I then looked around a bit and noticed that a board on the back of the coop had been ripped almost clear off, nails and all! I had noticed it had a bit of a crack at the joints in recent days and intended to get to it this weekend, but didn't imagine our measly city predators could rip it clear off, especially since the coop is nearly 3' off the ground on stilts. I checked our backyard security cameras and saw that an opossum had been in the yard around midnight; I can't say for certain that's what did it, as the camera is a good 30' from the coop, but the only other thing I can think of is that the hens got into a pecking order battle (the California Grey that died the day before had been solidly #2), and in the ruckus of it, had knocked the board off in the ensuing fight.
In any case, I need advice as to how to proceed with the Plymouth Rock and her injured comb, particularly since supplies are difficult to get at this time, for obvious reasons (the local feed store is open though, but online orders have become very slow I've noticed). It's not gushing blood, but is an open would. I do have a good supply of human meds, and some chicken meds, but would like advice in particular on how to dress/attend to the wound. I separated her from the others so as to prevent them from pecking at the injury, should they attempt to. I'll separate her at night as well. I would also like to add that this particular hen is the only one I've ever owned that is virtually 'uncatchable.' She's always been very high-strung and anti-social towards humans, and will run like the wind when I approach (the photo was taken from several feet away zoomed-in quite a bit...)
