Not sure what to do

[Angel13]

We are new to raising chickens so please bare with me. We have an EE that won't leave her nesting box. She isn't sitting on an egg so I don't think she is broody. When she goes out of the coop the other chickens peck her and won't let her eat or drink. She is losing feathers and is bleeding around her tail feathers. She lays in the nesting box shaking and sounds like crying??? We don't know wnat to do??? She is my favorite chicken so this is hard for me. Any suggestions or ideas please?

Thanks for reading,
Angel

 

[familyfarm1]

How about posting some pictures? She sound like she is at the bottom of the pecking order. How long does she sit in the nesting box? She probably just laying an egg. I hope you find out what the matter is!

 

[MrsBachbach]

We are new to raising chickens so please bare with me. We have an EE that won't leave her nesting box. She isn't sitting on an egg so I don't think she is broody. When she goes out of the coop the other chickens peck her and won't let her eat or drink. She is losing feathers and is bleeding around her tail feathers. She lays in the nesting box shaking and sounds like crying??? We don't know wnat to do??? She is my favorite chicken so this is hard for me. Any suggestions or ideas please?

Thanks for reading,
Angel

Has she just been added to the flock? Can you tell what the source of the blood around the vent is? Injury or not? How old is she?

Blood on feathers around the vent could be cocci and if that's what it is, you need to get her on Corid immediately, because that can kill them quick. The dosage for the liquid form of it is 9.5 ml/cc per gallon of water for 5 to 7 days. Change daily. You will need a syringe to measure it out. You can also give her a drop or two directly in the beak to get her started. If all you can find is the powder form of it, do a search here, because I know that dosage is in the forum somewhere. You can find this in local feed stores or Tractor Supply stores.

If you have a crate or pen you could put her in so she will be safe from harrassment and still be able to eat and drink. I sometimes keep the crate right in the pen with the other chickens so they can see, but can't hurt the bird. But I would get her on Corid right away, especially if she is a pullet. Feather loss could be because of lack of nutrition, molting if they are still in the growing stage, or parasites. Is the feather loss near the vent?

Now if she is an older bird, over a year old, I would guess she is having trouble laying an egg if she is sitting in the nest.
There are treatments you can try if she is eggbound. Search the term here. If she is new to laying, give her a day or two.
Or, if she was just added to the flock in the last few days, she is simply escaping the harrassment. In any case, if she is new, I'd treat her for lice or mites (simply because she is new and could very well have them), then I would put her and your least aggressive female in a seperate pen so they can become semi friends. Preferably, next to the other pen so they can still see the other birds. There will be alot of posturing near the fence with the other birds. There will be a bit of fighting until the pecking order is figured out between the two, but keep them together for at least a week, then add maybe another hen and let them establish their order. Then in a few days introduce them back to the original flock. She will at least have two birds that will no longer be harrassing her and might be able to deal with the others better. Right now, if she is the new kid on the block, she is catching it from everybody and it's just too much for her to deal with on her own.

 

[Angel13]

Here is a picture of her. She isn't new to our flock. We bought them in March of this year. We have 9 all together. The bleeding wasn't near her vent but on her back feathers. We don't know what to do for her????

Angel

 

[Angel13]

Here is a picture of her. She isn't new to our flock. We bought them in March of this year. We have 9 all together. The bleeding wasn't near her vent but on her back feathers. We don't know what to do for her????

Angel

 

[islandgirl82]

Looks like she's molting. Those pins are new feathers growing in. Molting isn't comfortable for them and the pecking order can change when flock members are going through it. They also have a reduced appetite during this time.

Give her some extra protein; hard boiled eggs, black oil sunflower seeds and other high protein foods to help give her a boost.

 

[Eggcessive]

Check her skin for lice and mites--look closely under the vent area for tiny bugs or egg clusters. Take out a rubber glove, and feel inside the vent 1-2 inches with 1 finger for a stuck egg. Watch her stools for diarrhea or blood. Check her crop to see if she is eating, and check for crop impaction (hard and full) or sour crop (big and squishy with a bad sour odor.) Offer her some scrambled or boiled egg to see if she will eat it. Make sure that she can stand and walk normally, and is not wobbly or weak in either leg. Has she ever been wormed? I would also place her in a cage inside the coop with food and water.

 

[Eggcessive]

She make be getting feather picked by the others, but you would want to rule out parasites. Here are some links with pictures of what to look for in lice or mites:
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/laura_e_john/

 

[MrsBachbach]

Here is a picture of her. She isn't new to our flock. We bought them in March of this year. We have 9 all together. The bleeding wasn't near her vent but on her back feathers. We don't know what to do for her????

Angel

How old is she? Were they all chicks in March? Do you have a rooster in the bunch? If they were chicks in March she shouldn't be molting at this time, they should all be done. But it does look like new feathers coming in. If the other birds are pecking her back there try putting some anti-peck lotion in that area. Might have to put some on daily, til the pecking stops.
If you have a rooster, he may be mounting her and doing that damage. Also, if she is a pullet, this is about the time they will start laying, so not unusual for them to visit the nest box several times prior to actually laying an egg. Feel fortunate if that is the case, because usually they don't know where to lay and just drop the egg on the ground!