hens pecking at combs, bleeding, comb almost gone!

[Yvonne37894]

I'm wondering if you don't have 2 roo's
They would be pecking at each other.
Hens will sometimes do this to another hen, but not usually to a roo
Or you may have the same problem that we had ....got all roo's out of "5 hens"

 

[andreamunroe]

The 2 being pecked on (BAs) are hens for sure (they're giving me eggs), but the RIR we have is definitely a roo, and he was the one doing the pecking (or at least, I saw him pecking, but maybe the hens are pecking each other too?). My BR isn't laying yet, but I'm certain she is a she.

We had originally bought 7 chicks, in the hopes that 3 or 4 would be female- we had an agreement with the farmer that he would take back any roos and give us our $4 back for each one, so it was OK, we were expecting to get some roos. I suppose that 3 girls out of 7 isn't bad, really.

...but 5 roos that were supposed to be hens! yikes! that isn't so good!

 

[meadrian]

Oh, I'm so sorry she's a he! It's difficult to let them go. Luckily, I had a coworker take mine, but still it's hard. And geez...reroofed, rewiring, getting married and having a baby and you didn't notice a roo???

My roo started crowing at 7 weeks, tho I was always at work when he did and my DH is home retired and would hear him. Otherwise I'd never know. That and people on this forum helped determine she was a he.

At least you know the source of the problem. Has the peck no more stuff seemed to help? Where do you live? If I know anyone out your way that can help.

 

[andreamunroe]

i live in truro, nova scotia...

if it weren't for the crowing, i'd love to keep him, but yep, unless there is a way to remove vocal chords, he can't stay here, haha

and the peck-no-more stuff has really, really helped. no more bleeding, anyways *knocks on wood* and they look great!

 

[SuburbanPixie]

Hey there,

I have 4 hens: 1 rhode island red, 2 black australorps, and 1 barred rock. They are all about 6 months old, and just started laying kind of sporadically last week (we get 2 eggs on the same day, then no more for 4 or 5 days, then 2 more). They live in a coop that is 3' x 4' with a perch going crossways (3'), their nestbox is situated at about the same height with the feeder hanging underneath (though they aren't laying in the nestbox... but thats not important at the moment, and i've read about how to go about correcting this problem so I'll do that soon). There is a large window in the coop, and more than adequate ventilation. They have access to a run which is 3' x 6', which has a 3' perch in it. We move the coop and run to new grass every 4 or so days, and until lately we've been keeping the waterer outside, but have now put it inside because of freezing temperatures at night. I started supplemental lighting about a month ago, to bring the daylight hours to 14 total. I'm using a 13W compact fluorescent bulb at the moment.

My husband has been sick with a flu for the past few days, so to be honest I haven't spent any time at all with the hens in a few days- just fed and watered them and checked for eggs. But this morning I went out to feed, water, check for eggs, and move the coop, and there was blood splattered on the inside walls of the coop (it is painted white, so it was VERY obvious and quite disturbing!). I let the hens out (we live in town, but I often let them roam around the yard), and checked them out. The 2 blacks are bleeding from their combs, which look to be really pecked... one of the hens is missing at least 1/3 or more of her comb, and there is black dried blood all around it. I don't know who is pecking who, but the RIR and the BR look fine.

I have read that hens can get aggressive when they first start to lay, and that sometimes the introduction of lighting can also cause/increase pecking. The coops is insulated to R-10, and the nights haven't been that cold yet (certainly no lower than -5'C, I'm not exactly sure), so I don't think it started with frostbite. When I went into the coop this morning, their water had been tipped over- could they have been fighting over that? Or maybe the coop is feeling more crowded since the waterer is now taking up floor space, and it is a small coop to begin with? Maybe it is just the PMS that comes with the start of laying?

I have been searching around here to see what to do. We don't have a shed or garage or anything, so separating them is going to be incredibly difficult at best (unless we locked the injured hen in the coop, and made the others stay out in the run?). I've read about using vaseline/blue-kote or similar things to protect the injured combs, dye them to a different colour, or make them taste bad- I don't know if these are availabel in my town but I'll call around this morning. I can give them some high-protein treats too. But is there anything else I can do? I don't want to lose these girls, they are more pets than fowl, if you know what I mean. I think maybe the small coop size has a lot to do with this

Although they sometimes puff up their neck feathers and jump around a bit when I first let them out to roam the yard (they dont do this in the coop or run), they haven't really been aggressive to each other before.

Sorry this is so long but I wanted to give details in case they were helpful. I'll go take a few pics of the coop and injured birds and post them ASAP. Any advice is greatly greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Andrea

While the size of the coop could be a factor(I'm definitely not an expert) I'm thinking it might be only a part, because mine are going after each other's combs and their coop is 3x6, with 24/7 access to the 13'x10' run. I'm thinking it has more to do with the age and new layers and flock dynamics. I have 8 in my coop, and they still are pecking at each other.