Injured/torn comb. Should I clip it or let it heal?

[NanaK]

I typically let them free roam in the yard for a few hours a day. I tried to let her join them yesterday and one of the hens immediately went after her! I then read some people suggested to let it fully heal until reintroducing her with the flock… you think I should try reintroducing sooner?

The longer she is separated the more trouble she will have integrating back in.

Was the bird who went after her the one who damaged the comb?

If so I would separate the bully for a couple days. Integrate the injured hen back with the flock.
When all is well, turn the bully loose. Watch closely to see how the bully reacts. If the bully goes back after her separate the bully again for a couple more days and try again. Usually this calms the bully down.

 

[TaylorGlade]

No blukote currently but I did order some, it won’t be here for a few days

It may help keep the other hens from pecking her injury

 

[Mellonball]

The longer she is separated the more trouble she will have integrating back in.

Was the bird who went after her the one who damaged the comb?

If so I would separate the bully for a couple days. Integrate the injured hen back with the flock.
When all is well, turn the bully loose. Watch closely to see how the bully reacts. If the bully goes back after her separate the bully again for a couple more days and try again. Usually this calms the bully down.

Unfortunately I’m not sure what happened with the original injury. Just heard commotion in the run, and ran out there to find her head all bloody. But I’ll keep an eye out on the potential bully and separate if needed!

 

[Mellonball]

The longer she is separated the more trouble she will have integrating back in.

Was the bird who went after her the one who damaged the comb?

If so I would separate the bully for a couple days. Integrate the injured hen back with the flock.
When all is well, turn the bully loose. Watch closely to see how the bully reacts. If the bully goes back after her separate the bully again for a couple more days and try again. Usually this calms the bully down.

I tried reintroducing her again when everyone was out free ranging. All three of the others went after her it just seems too soon to me, the scab is still a dark color so it’s really obvious on her comb and they just go right for it. Maybe once I get the blukote I can try again but I’m getting worried it’ll be harder to reintroduce than I thought!

 

[NanaK]

I tried reintroducing her again when everyone was out free ranging. All three of the others went after her it just seems too soon to me, the scab is still a dark color so it’s really obvious on her comb and they just go right for it. Maybe once I get the blukote I can try again but I’m getting worried it’ll be harder to reintroduce than I thought!

Sorry she's having problems with her flock. Sometimes that happens. I was hoping by putting her back quickly you'd avoid that.

Do you think it's possible one of the other hens caused her injury? I'm wondering if you have a dominate hen.

Is there a rooster with them?
Have then hens always been together?

At this point I would give her some time to heal then give it another try when you can be around to supervise.

Is there any way you could set up a see but no touch area for her? So she and the others are only separated by fencing? A dog kennel/cage works well for this. I separated pullets for integration with just chicken wire inside my run. This way they interact though the wire but no one gets hurt. Later they got longer amounts of time in with the flock. This method works well for me. Sometimes quickly and other times took a bit longer.

I hope this all makes sense.

 

[Mellonball]

Sorry she's having problems with her flock. Sometimes that happens. I was hoping by putting her back quickly you'd avoid that.

Do you think it's possible one of the other hens caused her injury? I'm wondering if you have a dominate hen.

Is there a rooster with them?
Have then hens always been together?

At this point I would give her some time to heal then give it another try when you can be around to supervise.

Is there any way you could set up a see but no touch area for her? So she and the others are only separated by fencing? A dog kennel/cage works well for this. I separated pullets for integration with just chicken wire inside my run. This way they interact though the wire but no one gets hurt. Later they got longer amounts of time in with the flock. This method works well for me. Sometimes quickly and other times took a bit longer.

I hope this all makes sense.

It’s definitely possible that another hen caused her injury! But I didn’t see it happen and up until that point they had all lived in harmony since they were 2 days old. We had a rooster but had to give it away, but that was nearly 2 months ago now.

And yep I think I’m going to try the setup you described for reintroduction. I’ve got a dog crate that I can set out so they can start to see each other but not interact. Fingers crossed that does the trick

 

[NanaK]

It’s definitely possible that another hen caused her injury! But I didn’t see it happen and up until that point they had all lived in harmony since they were 2 days old. We had a rooster but had to give it away, but that was nearly 2 months ago now.

And yep I think I’m going to try the setup you described for reintroduction. I’ve got a dog crate that I can set out so they can start to see each other but not interact. Fingers crossed that does the trick

Great!
Let me know how it goes.