Mating Injuries?

[ChikinInThePines]

Hey everyone!
My wife and I are going on 9 months of raising chickens. We have a beautiful run, and large coop to keep all of them. We started off with 21, and are now down to 17 as we had just wayyyy too many!

There is an issue that we are trying to solve currently involving what seems to be mating injuries. There are 3 or 4 hens that have sliced open sides under both (or one) wing. By sliced open, I mean the skin is sliced and you can see and touch the muscle fibers underneath. This was first noticed a month ago on one of our Anconas - she did not seem to improve, so we had to put her down.
Today, we have found 3 others that have the same exact issue. One has a slice going from near the top of her back almost down to her breast. This is 100% a mating injury and we are weeding out culprits. We have taken the most injured and brought them inside to get away and heal. They are eating and seem to be scabbing up fairly OK. We currently have 3 roosters and one which we just gave away yesterday. The main rooster (Ivan), is very gentle and none of the hens run from him ever. The other 2 seem to chase the girls more often and are generally much rougher. Would it be wise to donate/get rid of these other 2 roosters?

Also, is there anything we can put on these slices to "cauterize" in a way? I know the best thing would be to stitch them up, but we do not have the equipment right now.

 

[Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies]

Hey everyone!
My wife and I are going on 9 months of raising chickens. We have a beautiful run, and large coop to keep all of them. We started off with 21, and are now down to 17 as we had just wayyyy too many!

There is an issue that we are trying to solve currently involving what seems to be mating injuries. There are 3 or 4 hens that have sliced open sides under both (or one) wing. By sliced open, I mean the skin is sliced and you can see and touch the muscle fibers underneath. This was first noticed a month ago on one of our Anconas - she did not seem to improve, so we had to put her down.
Today, we have found 3 others that have the same exact issue. One has a slice going from near the top of her back almost down to her breast. This is 100% a mating injury and we are weeding out culprits. We have taken the most injured and brought them inside to get away and heal. They are eating and seem to be scabbing up fairly OK. We currently have 3 roosters and one which we just gave away yesterday. The main rooster (Ivan), is very gentle and none of the hens run from him ever. The other 2 seem to chase the girls more often and are generally much rougher. Would it be wise to donate/get rid of these other 2 roosters?

Also, is there anything we can put on these slices to "cauterize" in a way? I know the best thing would be to stitch them up, but we do not have the equipment right now.

I'd get rid of the roos or keep them in a separate coop if they are harming the hens that bad. If you put them in a separate coop, make sure the hens are out of sight of the roos, because if not the roos will try to get to them.

 

[SmiYa0126]

How many roosters do you have? You could trim the spurs. I use a Dremel.

 

[CoopBoots]

I think the general advice for such an injury is to rinse the wound with saline, spray with vetericyn, and pack with a plain triple antibiotic ointment containing no pain reliever or analgesic component. Prevent ANY rooster contact until fully healed and monitor for any bad smells from the injuries. If an infection sets in you'll probably need antibiotics to save them.

I've treated this type of injury once successfully but still had issues with the hen dust bathing and trying to pack her own wound with mud. Amazingly she didn't seem to suffer ill effects and healed just fine, but it's important to try to avoid infection. Next time I'd probably confine her near the flock but with a solid floor to the cage or crate to prevent any dusting.

Longer term solutions would be spur trimmings as already recommended, just one rooster to eliminate competitive mating and fights DURING mating (one roo knocking another off can increase risk of a hen getting sliced), or a smaller breed rooster who is lighter, more agile, and will hopefully remove less protective feathers from the hens' backs as a result. Hen "saddle" products exist for this exact problem, but I can't get my girls to keep them on.

(https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...5WiZkwvRP-IemRavJEHDkDUvWK-ng7pxoCpk4QAvD_BwE)

 

[Bigbluefrog]

I think the general advice for such an injury is to rinse the wound with saline, spray with vetericyn, and pack with a plain triple antibiotic ointment containing no pain reliever or analgesic component. Prevent ANY rooster contact until fully healed and monitor for any bad smells from the injuries. If an infection sets in you'll probably need antibiotics to save them.

I've treated this type of injury once successfully but still had issues with the hen dust bathing and trying to pack her own wound with mud. Amazingly she didn't seem to suffer ill effects and healed just fine, but it's important to try to avoid infection. Next time I'd probably confine her near the flock but with a solid floor to the cage or crate to prevent any dusting.

Longer term solutions would be spur trimmings as already recommended, just one rooster to eliminate competitive mating and fights DURING mating (one roo knocking another off can increase risk of a hen getting sliced), or a smaller breed rooster who is lighter, more agile, and will hopefully remove less protective feathers from the hens' backs as a result. Hen "saddle" products exist for this exact problem, but I can't get my girls to keep them on.

(https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...5WiZkwvRP-IemRavJEHDkDUvWK-ng7pxoCpk4QAvD_BwE)

Having just hens isn't so bad. Having a rooster hasn't been a good experience for us. I am on number 2!
Maybe it is the breed? Or is it just bad luck

 

[Eggcessive]

Definitely treat the wounds with saline or wound spray, and coat with antibiotic ointment until healed. If any wounds are visible they will be picked at by the others, so hopefully they are under the wings. Separate out 2 cockerels permanently, and the third temporarily. They are very active in the first year or so, and will overmate the pullets. I never had any spur injuries, only some loss of feathers on the backs my first year and a half. So, the spurs will need to be trimmed and dulled. Let us know how they get along.