- Apr 15, 2012
- 8
- 4
- 62
Hi, I'm new here and hoping to get some guidance.
Just yesterday an odd issue started with my flock. There are three ladies, all of which the same breed and likely from the same birth group (I expect there is a term for that). Up to date they have gotten along fine. I went out yesterday morning and found one of them lying under the coop ladder with its eyes shut and not moving. She looked like she had gotten beaten up and her head looked like it had been pecked a lot and was very dirty looking. She is also the hen that suffered hair loss (several months ago) on her back after a rooster encounter which still hasn't fully healed. Her back is bare in a large spot and it looks like this area has been pecked too by the others. All in all she is in bad shape.
After a bit of prompting I got her to "wake up" and let her and the others out to roam. I could tell something was going on and she kept herself separated from the other two. As the day went on she seemed to be doing better and was eating and both eyes opened up. I left them all out all day and as dusk set in I went to check to see they had may there way back into the coop (as usual). The two were inside roosting but the other was still outside. I coaxed her back into the coop and the other two came out very aggressively and started attacking her, both of them. I didn't know what to do so I locked the two others in the coop for the night and built a quick shelter in the attached fenced in run for her for the night. She seemed fine and I called it a day.
Woke up this morning and found her stil in the same resting place. Both eyes closed and unresponsive. I picked her up and moved her to a temporary shelter (dog crate). She is now just sitting there, eyes closed and unresponsive. She is certainly alive as I tried to drip some water on her beak and she didn't like that!
Even more interesting, one of the other two from the flock seems to have been pecked a bit last night and had only one eye open when I looked in on them this morning. I let them out to roam and she seems fine (both eyes open now) but I am certain something in the pecking order is going astray. What is the deal with the eyes, is that common?
I've read a lot about just letting nature work itself out but if I can/should do anything to help make these hens lives better I want to. They all have enough room, roosting space, hen boxes, clean water, food, large run, etc... and have been getting along fine for a long time.
Any thoughts what to do next? Thanks in advance for any help!
JH
PS. Here is photo of my poor girl: http://flic.kr/p/bMFXRx
She hasn't moved from here since I put her here about 45 min. ago...
Just yesterday an odd issue started with my flock. There are three ladies, all of which the same breed and likely from the same birth group (I expect there is a term for that). Up to date they have gotten along fine. I went out yesterday morning and found one of them lying under the coop ladder with its eyes shut and not moving. She looked like she had gotten beaten up and her head looked like it had been pecked a lot and was very dirty looking. She is also the hen that suffered hair loss (several months ago) on her back after a rooster encounter which still hasn't fully healed. Her back is bare in a large spot and it looks like this area has been pecked too by the others. All in all she is in bad shape.
After a bit of prompting I got her to "wake up" and let her and the others out to roam. I could tell something was going on and she kept herself separated from the other two. As the day went on she seemed to be doing better and was eating and both eyes opened up. I left them all out all day and as dusk set in I went to check to see they had may there way back into the coop (as usual). The two were inside roosting but the other was still outside. I coaxed her back into the coop and the other two came out very aggressively and started attacking her, both of them. I didn't know what to do so I locked the two others in the coop for the night and built a quick shelter in the attached fenced in run for her for the night. She seemed fine and I called it a day.
Woke up this morning and found her stil in the same resting place. Both eyes closed and unresponsive. I picked her up and moved her to a temporary shelter (dog crate). She is now just sitting there, eyes closed and unresponsive. She is certainly alive as I tried to drip some water on her beak and she didn't like that!
Even more interesting, one of the other two from the flock seems to have been pecked a bit last night and had only one eye open when I looked in on them this morning. I let them out to roam and she seems fine (both eyes open now) but I am certain something in the pecking order is going astray. What is the deal with the eyes, is that common?
I've read a lot about just letting nature work itself out but if I can/should do anything to help make these hens lives better I want to. They all have enough room, roosting space, hen boxes, clean water, food, large run, etc... and have been getting along fine for a long time.
Any thoughts what to do next? Thanks in advance for any help!
JH
PS. Here is photo of my poor girl: http://flic.kr/p/bMFXRx
She hasn't moved from here since I put her here about 45 min. ago...
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