Pecking Injuries

[Birdoma]

My adopted Cornish Cross, Lucy Loose, is being attacked regularly by our newly acquired rooster, Colburn. He pecks at her head whenever he can get at her till she is bleeding and continues until one of us breaks it up or she somehow gets away from him. Whenever I break it up, I quarantine her in the coop for the remainder of the day.
Today, my daughter had to break it up as I am away from the house. Apparently he got at her pretty good. (See photos)

How do I clean her up and treat these wounds as well as prevent him from attacking her in the future?

 

[SmiYa0126]

You need to do a slow introduction, see can't touch set up for two weeks or more, so he can get used to her. I hope he didn't get her eye . Clean her up with saline and then slather with plain antibiotic ointment. repeat twice daily for a week. Once she scabs over you can reintroduce her into your flock with the slow method. See if you can get a low ranking hen in with her so she has a friend when you're doing se, no touch.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Are you sure Lucy isn't a Larry? Im thinking you're going to have to keep them separated. You can gently wash the wounds with a warm damp cloth and apply bacitracin. Chickens heal fast.

 

[Eggcessive]

Good advice about the wounds. Saline or eye wash to clean the eye, and Terramycin in the eye or plain Neosporin on skin. I would separate the rooster. He might be too aggressive toward your hens. It does help to introduce new birds in a wire dog crate with food and water. She may be too lo in the pecking order for this rooster. I would worry that he will go after other hens. Once a rooster damages a hen like this in my flock, he is gone or culled. I hope your hen recovers.

 

[Officalchickensnuggler]

My adopted Cornish Cross, Lucy Loose, is being attacked regularly by our newly acquired rooster, Colburn. He pecks at her head whenever he can get at her till she is bleeding and continues until one of us breaks it up or she somehow gets away from him. Whenever I break it up, I quarantine her in the coop for the remainder of the day.
Today, my daughter had to break it up as I am away from the house. Apparently he got at her pretty good. (See photos)View attachment 3670725View attachment 3670726
How do I clean her up and treat these wounds as well as prevent him from attacking her in the future?

Oh my gosh that looks like a horror movie!!! If I found one of my girls like that I would pass out!!! I’d say dab the bloody feathers with a warm wet washcloth and put BlueKote on the wounds…100% seperare her from the troublemaker but don’t put her in the coop as the other girls won’t be able to lay in there. Put her in a separate pen or if u don’t have one of those (like me) rig up a secure pen in the garage with chairs, sheets, heavy things, boxes…just make sure she can’t get out bc the garage is a hazardous place for a hen. Provide food and water of course, and a nest box. But just keep hr in there, have her spend the night in the garage or other pen and let her heal. When she’s healed out her back in the pen and the heard truth is is u gotta get rid of the rooster if this continues.

 

[Birdoma]

Are you sure Lucy isn't a Larry? Im thinking you're going to have to keep them separated. You can gently wash the wounds with a warm damp cloth and apply bacitracin. Chickens heal fast.

Lucy is definitely not a Larry, lol. She lays beautiful large light brown eggs when not stressed. Thank you for the advice.

 

[Birdoma]

Good advice about the wounds. Saline or eye wash to clean the eye, and Terramycin in the eye or plain Neosporin on skin. I would separate the rooster. He might be too aggressive toward your hens. It does help to introduce new birds in a wire dog crate with food and water. She may be too lo in the pecking order for this rooster. I would worry that he will go after other hens. Once a rooster damages a hen like this in my flock, he is gone or culled. I hope your hen recovers.

We did introduce him through this method, wire dog cage next to the coop with food and water. Lucy wasn't interested in going anywhere near him even then. And she is at the top of the pecking order, or has been until this incident. Now at the top of the pecking order are either his favorite, a golden comet named Chestnut or Queenie, my only Rhode Island Red.
I have heard that if a hen will not submit to the rooster, this is how they might treat them, but I don't think that is the problem. She squats for him to mate with her almost as soon as he catches her.
I have also heard that if the birds look drastically different, i.e. the only white or black bird in a flock, the others will peck at them. Four of mine were "mothered" by Lucy when they were chicks. There are no issues with those four and Lucy. In fact, Chestnut is the only one to give her a hard time besides Cogburn.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Lucy is definitely not a Larry, lol. She lays beautiful large light brown eggs when not stressed. Thank you for the advice.

What brand of feed do you use?

 

[SmiYa0126]

How is she doing?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

How old is this rooster? Personally, I would not have a rooster that lacked gentlemanly attributes.

She squats for him to mate with her almost as soon as he catches her.

He shouldn't be chasing them down, he should be wooing them, dancing, tidbiting, etc.