My Dh gathered the eggs this morning, I had a dr. appointment and I just got in about an hour ago. Anyhow, when I came home he told me that the chicken waterer was covered in blood and my chickens were acting real odd. He seemed to think that maybe they chased something and killed it but then told me that one of the hens had black tips. Anyhow I got dressed and went to the barn and noticed the blood on the waterer, quite a bit enough to make me think they killed something or one of them was injured but then I started inspecting a few of the chickens and noticed several of them had blood on their combs and side of the beaks, I am not sure who is pecking who, but there are no missing feathers and no mites, nothing else wrong with them. but it has been quite cold here and they seem really annoyed. they go out in their run which is quite big and their pen is 11x12 and I got 21 chickens. lots of room. So its not overcrowding that is causing them to peck at one another....I don't know where to proceed from here. I gave them more treats so they have something to do, and more straw for warmth. for the pecked chickens I have no blue Kote here in this town, no idea where to pick it up is there anything else I can put on their combs to stop the others from going after the brightly coloured blood. ohh and those black tips Dh was talking about, its dried blood. please give me some ideas on what to do, there is no where else I can stick the chickens that got pecked. I would say almost half of them have been pecked but not as badly as a about 3 or 4 of them. Ema
I live in Ontario too so I know what it's like.Lol! well maybe the combs are cold, that's what annoys my hens. Try warming their combs. It worked with my chickens.
I just noticed my roo had been pecked on his wattles and had to spray bluekote on him. Also he has some frost bite that has turned blk. that might be what your seeing if it's blk. then again it could be dried blood. might try to wash it off with some warm water to see. For the pecking you might try giving them other things to do.. Cabbage hung inside the coop for them to peck at, scratch thrown on the coop floor for them to peck in, and or BOSS, alot of its because they are not able to get out and do what chickens like to do. If you can find a place in Canada where you can order bluekote that would be my first pick to cover the wounds... Maybe try putting some vaseline real thick on their combs and see if that helps... I have seen people use blue food coloring when that was the only option...
