One hen keeps getting injured, how can I stop this?

[BirdBrain528]

Hello everyone! I'm a newbie to BYC.com but have been keeping chickens for over a year. A new problem has developed over the last month or so. I have one hen, a sweet 1 1/2 year old Silver Laced Wyandotte, who has been pretty viciously attacked. She was in our starter flock my DH and I got as chicks in the spring of 2012. We added a roo (only one) and several more hens this spring. We have a total of 18 hens now, all are free range. The first episode was about a month ago, when Pearl (my SLW) showed up with a wound about the size of a nickle on the back of her head. We separated her for almost two weeks, until the wound had completely healed and feathers were starting to regrow. A little over a week later, another head wound and some damage to her comb. Again, we separated her and it was healing well until she escaped her enclosure and rejoined the flock while I was off at work. I came home and she was horrible! The wound was twice its original size and bleeding again. Now she is healing well, eating like a champ and still laying, but I don't know how to deal with this once she heals again. I have never witnessed any aggression but I'm assuming its the rooster. How can I protect my poor Pearl without forcing her to live a life in captivity? NONE of the other hens have ever been hurt. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[BantamLover21]

I would spend and hour or two observing your flock's interaction with Pearl. Perhaps the aggressor will show herself/himself. If there is a bully hen, you might consider removing her from the flock. If its the rooster, then I would either get a less damaging rooster (some are more aggressive/rough on hens than others), or consider keeping Pearl separate.