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Shady Oak Farm

Shady Oak Farm

Chirping
May 2, 2015
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I have been reading over posts for hours here for several months. All was good with my new girls they are now laying and have a wonderful living arrangement. Because I saw a hawk one day in the pen (no one was hurt) I have only put the girls out with my boarder collie Abby. She has been around them since the day old chicks arrived. She usually lays in the sun sleeping or quietly watching. I know no hawk will try any thing with her there. BUT TODAY... went to check on them as we do after a few hours and one has been injured. Took all the fathers off her back and some damage kinda yucky done to her elbow (for lack of knowing a better term) no puncture wounds I can find. None of the chickens have ever in the months I have had them ever hurt one another. Could they do that type of damage or would they out of the blue? I have separated her in a large dog crate to protect her, she is drinking and eating. And acting like nothings wrong. Help?

Chris
 
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I'm glad you joined our community!

I'm sorry about your injured chick.
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I would suspect picking from the other chicks, since they will occasionally do that "out of the blue." I'd post in the Emergencies section of the forums for more help: Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures
 
Are her wounds bleeding? Is it possible you have a "stealth" rooster in the bunch?. They generally tear up a hen's back in trying to breed them. Sometimes roosters over breed the same hen because she doesn't get away as fast as the others.
 
By the time we found her if she was bleeding she was no longer the one area is pretty nasty. After posting and putting her alone in the dog crate we investigated a bit more. Our dog who was laying about 2 feet from her asleep had no blood or evidence she did any thing wrong she has a good amount of white on her I think we would have seen something if it was her. The hen is acting as if nothing happened. I ordered the chicks from a hatchery they did send an extra one and I think it is a RIR. Ours are Buff Orpingtons. No crowing. Although I have not yet had every hen lay. Usually I get 12-14 eggs a day so I just figured some one has a bad day. Things were knocked down and moved in the pen. May be a struggle thought maybe the dog chased some thing out.
 
Ok thank you. I was just so upset when it happened I had to vent and didn't know there was an emergency posts. Sorry.
 

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