Injured hen!

[reallynewatthis]

So, I went out side this morning and discovered a hen with a bloody comb and head. I can figure out exactly where she is injured, but we will be off to the vet shortly. My guess is that one of our young roosters attacked her at some point between 7 pm last night and 7 am this morning. Probably this morning. Grrr. If the roosters are this aggressive already (two are 20 weeks old), we definitely have to get rid of them.

Sorry, just venting. We hadn't intended to have any roosters at all, and ending up with three out of the six chicks we chose is not making me happy, especially if one is attacking our hens!

Katy

 

[Sphinx]

It may or may not be the roosters.

I have had my hens attack each other to the point of bloodying the combs in the past. Once they see blood, they're even worse.

My rooster gets beat up the worst. Of course, that could be because he's a young whippersnapper, and one of the hens is determined to stay at the top of the pecking order and beats the poor kid up.

 

[reallynewatthis]

It could be a hen, but they've never had issues in the past. The boys are young (2 are 20 weeks and one is 15 weeks) and pushy, and none of hens are accommodating them at all. One of the roosters is getting more aggressive by the day.

It just sucks. Fortunately, she isn't too badly hurt, just bloody. She is at the vet, getting cleaned up and treated. Poor thing.

Katy

 

[Sphinx]

My hens were almost 9 months old before I had any incidents.

Having said that, if they are too rough, make them into a nice plate of fried chicken or rehome them.

 

[reallynewatthis]

Sorry, I wasn't clear, this hen and the other three adult hens have been together for 16 months and have never had a problem. And the younger pullets/hens (at what age do they officially become hens?) don't challenge the older ones at all.

Sigh. This chicken thing is waaaay more complicated than I thought it would be!

Katy

 

[ddmiddle7]

Quote:
I believe it is at a year old, that they become hens. I hope your girl is doing ok!