Okay...a little advice please on what to do...

[LynetteM]

I have a flock of 16 hens and a rooster at my school of which I tend to. They were late September hatchlings. All laying eggs well. Mr. Colonel Rooster is a happy guy...he does need rehoming as he has shown aggression toward a few students (not me thank God and wish I could take him home)...however, I have 4-5 hens with feathers gone on the mis-upper back. I didn't even realize it until it has been raining and they are wet (they like to be in the rain for some reason). Is that from the Big Guy "wrestling" with them (it's an elementary school)? I was worried about mites, but it is not on all of them and molting would happen when not laying and in the fall months??? Also, I have one of my beauties who has a really bad looking injury at the area where the thigh meets the body (she is one I was checking because of the missing back feathers). Almost looks like the skin got ripped or punctured. It is so embedded with dirt from the dirt baths (even after putting a warm wet rag to loosen) it is hard to tell the extent. She keeps trying to preen the area as well as her back. She is not acting sick or stressed. I put peroxide on it and it did bubble. No blood, no one picking on her when she was out there. Did that a few times to make sure it was at east that much cleaned out. I also have another with a sore (scabbed over) under the wing. Due to afternoon showers, I have not gotten a chance to go out and check the rest. I did go around the entire run to look for potential hazards and found nothing. In the coop itself there are some screws that stick out but they are higher and nothing has changed out there since it was placed last August before the run was built of chickens brought. Can the male create such wounds? I am not sure if I should place this gal back out with her friends and let it be... She has never been alone. Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions? (that's like advice, but not really)...I have a fellow educator who had chickens and said I should be feeding antibiotic type food to the flock...how do I know if that is what I have? Having chickens as a kid into high school when all I was responsible for was occasional feed/water/clean coop, and gather eggs was a whole lot different than what I am doing now...lol (One last question...what is the best way to clean the run of the old veggies/hay when it is wet out? okay, one more...what can be used to reduce the smell in the run? same stuff as in the coop?)

Thanks everyone for being patient with me and answering/advising/suggesting things! I appreciate you!

 

[snow5164]

Yes he can be causing these wounds. I’m trying to decide what to do with my rooster. We have 13 hens and 4 have bare backs ....not sure why, they must not run fast enough. I think we’ll trim his nails and see if that helps . I’d get rid of your because school insurance might not cover an injured child from a rooster ,

 

[LynetteM]

Thanks for advice. I found a home for my guy. One of my students who is being raised by his sister and brother in law said he would take the whole flock and promised not to eat them. lol I said he could take the Rooster and depending how many of the chicks are hens will be the number of layers that will go as well. Just not sure how to tell which are which on the babies yet. They are only a month old. I put the injured hen back out. She is such a sweetie. She ate an entire cheese stick before going back with the rest. Guess if she is eating okay and has good color with no yucky oozing or blood I will just come back up and check on her over the weekend once a day. I just worry. I also am going to bring in the grinder and remove the sharp points on the internal coop screws toward the top, clean it out completely and wash down with vinegar before placing in new shavings/odor control stuff, and straw. Any other advice? I saw the "saddle back" things...kinda cute actually, but if he is going anyhow, Florida is a bit hot in the summer for extras on these gals.