My Buff has a black head and back and is missing feathers

[jodyb]

She is only 9 months old and I fear the rooster, a large Brahma, has gotten to her too many times. I have separated her from him but does anyone know what the blackish coloring is? Blood? And how long tip her feathers grow back. It is winter and this is not a molt.

Please help me. I am hoping she doesn't have a disease and then I would have to isolate her. What is "black head"?

JOdy

 

[HEChicken]

Pictures would be useful. Dried blood can look black but would be caked on and fairly easily picked off. If it is overuse by the rooster, a saddle will help to protect her back.

I have one hen who is a rooster favorite and this summer her back was quite bare. I was paring down birds preparing to go through the winter, and I was down to my head cock bird and a young cockerel, about 5 months old. I noticed that the cockerel was the one mating her all the time so I decided it was time to process him. I did that on Oct 26th and noticed last week that her back is now fully feathered in again. That is a long way of saying, once the problem was removed, it took about a month for the feathers to fully grow back in to where you can no longer see the damage. Of course, this being the time of year they are molting may have helped. At another time of year she might have take longer to recover the feathering.

 

[teach1rusl]

Pictures would definitely help here. I too am wondering whether it's dried blood???

 

[jodyb]

Thank you! I have her in a coop with an injured RR someone "gave" me. Also two young birds. So she is being protected from abuse. I am ready to get rid of the Rooster as he is a Brahma, very large, and I don't want to breed them. Don't know why I am feeding him. Wish I had the knowledge and gump to "process him". Big meal. But I have been giving my roosters to a neighbor to eat. I watched then kill my last one. It takes 2 people and my husband is too squeamish to help. I'll figure it out...

It could be blood but it has stayed a long time and seems to be spreading out from the crown of her head. Will try to get pictures today.

My birds still love to free range. I let them out when temps go above 32.

Jody

 

[HEChicken]

But I have been giving my roosters to a neighbor to eat. I watched then kill my last one. It takes 2 people and my husband is too squeamish to help. I'll figure it out...

I always just process on my own. My DH offered to help one time but I'm so used to doing it alone that I couldn't figure out what the second pair of hands should be doing, without being in the way. I've done it with a cone (which holds the bird), and also done it by just tucking the bird under one arm, holding the body with my forearm/elbow, and still having both hands free to control the head/neck while I cut and bleed the bird out.

 

[jodyb]

Wow! Some say to put two nails in a stump, place the bird's neck between the nails and chop to kill quickly. Then drain the blood…how long does this take, then put into a pot of boiling water…again how long. Then pluck feathers? and remove insides like with a turkey?

Help needed.

Jody

 

[jodyb]

I figured how to post a photo. Here she is with the black neck feathers and the black around the back feathers where she has been mated too often by a rough rooster. She is very submissive.
Do you think the black is dried blood? It has been there all through rain, wind, and several months now.
Jody