I dead and another bleeding .... Please help.....

[Minniechickmama]

I keep pens that would be overcrowded if I did not free range, but they are out all day and only go in their pens from roosting time to morning. What I have come across when I find someone with their tail pecked, is that I believe it to be where one of the blood feathers get pulled out for whatever reason, which results in enough blood to lure the others to start pecking, and once they start there is no stopping them with just chasing them off. What I do, is get the BluKote out and spray the heck out of it and the other will stop pecking. If you can keep her out to heal, that is great. Unfortunately, when she goes back to the flock, if you have anything showing from the previous wound, they will start pecking again. You have to keep BluKote on that those sights so the red blood spots don't show or you will have a mess.
As for me, the birds get let out no matter what the weather. If they need shelter, they will find it.
No, I don't keep this many year around, I am getting ready to start culling, but that is because I have 70% cockerels. But this is something you can see in the younger birds if there is any overcrowding, also, if you have some aggressive birds and some who are not aggressive at all and there is some dominance aggression going on in the flock. Sadly, the girls do it too and someone can get hurt.
I am so sorry for your loss. I know it is hard to handle, but you are taking care of your girl who was hurt. However, watch and see if you have one or two aggressive girls and put them in chicken jail to knock them down a few pegs. This sometimes breaks them from being overly aggressive towards the others in the flock. It is like rewarding the bully by protecting the calmer birds if you just pull the calm ones out, because then when they go back to the flock the bully starts in on them again because now they are like the new kid on the playground.
Good luck with all of your girls.

 

[NewToFarming]

Quote:
As I was reading along in the posts this was my thought - that you have one really mean hen (vampire). I had one vicious ol' girl, I finally got rid of her and the kingdom is peacable once again. She did not peck anybody bloody (yet), she just screamed and pecked toward everybody, also chased various ones relentlessly.

A second thought I'd had but later discarded, maybe one of your hems has a prolapsed vent? But that is not overly common and would not explain multiple girls going down.

Hey, if the injuries are occurring at night IN THE DARK, it is not your hens starting starting the wound. It's some mouse or rat getting in and your girls showing interest as dawn breaks and they see the blood. Chickens hardly move all night, they can't see in the dark and they get kind of hypnotized when asleep. If the injuries are during daylight hours (which it seems you'd said) it's unlikely rodents, they generally come around in the dark.

I know you feel terrible, and I feel for you. I hope the whole thing is cleared up real soon.

p.s. oh, and I think your coop is plenty big enough.
Oh, and I don't shut mine up for any kind of weather, storm, wind, rain, or snow. Even though they only have chicken brains they know how much they can take (even the Silkie). I just make absolutely sure that the door to the coop is not going to blow shut! That would be bad.

I have been battling a rat problem and they do come into the coop during the day. I have walked in there numerous times to find one scatter away or the cat catching one so they do come into a coop during the day. Perhaps the injuries are happening at night but then the hens are picking at the wounds during day????

 

[RoosterRidge]

Quote:
OK here is what I have so far. I observed them in the run for a little bit. One of our TSL is being the ring leader. She is pecking everyones tails. I let them out to free range and she is the one. Can she be rehabilitated? I grapped her up and took her to the run and gave her a stern talking to and jerked on her neck feathers for good measure. As soon as I let her down she went to the others and started her same hateful stuff again. I snatched her up again and this time she went into the run and I shut the gate behind her. I am so disappointed that I had not noticed this before 2 had to die. I have only been giving them a small amount of cracked corn but hate to think that is what caused all this in the first place. They have access to layer pellets 24/7 and I give them veggies. If she can not be broke from this then she has to go. I never thought I would say that but I have to think about the poor little girl that is sitting in a pet carrier because she is tore to pieces on her behind. Not to mention the 2 that have died. As far as the overcrowded wouldn't we have seen signs of bickering before this. I just thought we had done so good by them and I see just how ill prepared we are. Oh and she has dried blood on her head. No wound just where she has pecked them.

 

[welasharon]

No honey you are not a bad chicken mommy. Just gathering some experience. It happens. The important thing is you are doing something about it. You can try to isolate her from the pack for a few days to make her lose her place in the pecking order. Another thing (I have not done this) is to get some pinless peepers so she can't peck. If all else fails...get rid of her. Sometimes they can change sometimes not...you can't help that. Good for you for figuring this out.
sharon

 

[RoosterRidge]

Quote:
We just found that our Roos butt has been pecked also. She is just something else. He is raw but no blood that I can find. He has several quills sticking out with no feathers. That is how I knew she was the problem for sure when I saw her almost to the point of chasing him. I know we have to many hens with just one roo but we got him thankfully by accident. He is my buddy and even though he puts up with me picking him up from time to time he is still hard to catch. I was able to really see up close what she has done to him also. I am so thankful for everyone on BYC I would have lost more than just 2 without you all.

 

[NewToFarming]

Thank goodness you figured this out! I would try what someone else had suggested about removing the hen for a few days to bring her lower in the pecking order to see if that helps calm her down a bit.

 

[RoosterRidge]

Quote:
I hope I have it figured out. I have her inside the coop but in the corner in a pet carrier. Is this ok or should I put her somewhere else. I want her to see what she is missing but if this is not the correct thing to do please tell me. This is our first attempt at chickens so I am just at a loss as to what to do. My husband took such care when adding the coop onto the shed. Digging down a foot all around the edge and pouring cement to make it to where if something did get into the coop it would have to do some major digging. Plus he laid wire all around sticking out 2 feet under the shed beside it. Something would really have to work hard to get in. But didn't think about what they would do to each other. I is a learning experience for sure.

 

[franh]

First I'm so sorry to hear about your chooks, its horrible losing any.

I definately think the right thing to do is to keep her within sight of the rest of the girls but unable to boss around I would suspect that she is high up on the pecking order . She has food and water in with her? I would leave her for a couple of days like that to see if another bird becomes the boss but watch her like a hawk when she comes out.

I took in one of my friends hen's as she was systematically getting the rest of the flock oven ready and my friend didn't want to kill her. As my boss chicken is a year old big cuckoo Maran I thought it might work out alright, thankfully it did. The new girl tried it on with my boss but was quickly put in her place and I have not had any problems with her feather pecking my flock at all.

If she still tries to peck when you let her out, I think that there is only two options for you either sell her or neck her. Sounds a bit harsh but I think you are unlikely to be able to break her from that behaviour if she has decided thats what she wants to do.

Really hope your other girl makes it.

 

[RoosterRidge]

Quote:
Went to let the others out of the coop this morning and she is just raising cain. Gave her fresh food and water and she backed up when I opened the door. Was really odd to watch Miss Big Britches cowering back in the corner of the carrier. My other girl is so far so good. I am going to let her out today for awhile by herself so she can get some sunshine and just stretch her legs. I cannot believe as bad a shape as she was in she laid us an egg yesterday. I could not believe it. If the mean girl does not straighten up I have a home for her I think. Really don't want to do that, we raised her from 2 days old just like the others. But I will not have her harrassing the others. She is a bully and until she can act like a lady she will not be allowed with the others.

I really appreciate this site and all of you on it...