Polish picked on

[JML72]

Hi all, my little flock of 10 weeks olds is a Columbian Wyandotte, EE, WCB Polish, Bantam EE and Bantam Brahma, and a silkie,

I noticed this morning that the polish has two raw spots on the back of her head where someone (or multiple someones) has been picking - all the sudden. There is half-hearted pecking once in a while at those spots by the large fowl. The polish doesn't even act like she notices it.

They are in an enclosed house/run - house is 4x8 and run is 8x16.

Is there anything I can do, or do I just hope they get over it and no one gets killed?

Thanks!

 

[JML72]

Anyone? I just went and got Wound Kote and just sprayed it all over the back of her head. From the looks of it up close - it wasn't raw and bloody or anything, just raw from where feathers were pulled it seems. Everyone is still interested in picking a little - but it seems like when they do, they don't like the bluekote taste or something - because it's certainly with less interest than before I put it on.

Anyone have any other advice?

 

[TeamChaos]

Is there a rooster in there with your hens? When roosters attempt to mate, they often yank feathers out of the back of the head. That said, I've seen plenty of hens grab a beakful when they are establishing pecking order. If the wound isn't open or causing distress, you've done all you can right now. Definitely keep an eye on your flock and make sure they don't get the habit of being pickers!

 

[JML72]

Nope no roosters (that I know of) - they're all about 10 weeks old. It seems like once the novelty of the "hey your hair is PURPLE now!" has worn off they're pretty much ignoring her again. She wasn't even trying to get away from them when they were picking - I just didn't want to see it escalate into a full-on assault on her.

I'll keep an eye on them. Figures she's my son's favorite (ok - my favorite) lol

 

[terryg]

The Polish are like a red flag to a bull - they often get picked on. I was given two Polish who looked like those bald monks when they came. I actually made them hats out of duct tape until they healed! When conditions are crowded and boring you'll have the most trouble. The blu-kote is a good first step. Do you have outside roosts for the girls? Are they busy? I have a compost pile in the chicken run which really helps to keep them occupied. http://hencam.com/faq/compost-in-the-chicken-run/
Other hints for pecking order issues here:http://hencam.com/faq/pecking-order/
BTW, some Polish have top knots so full that they can't see to get out of the way of aggressors. I keep my Polish trimmed and that had helped the dynamics quite a bit.

 

[JML72]

Thanks Terry - I don't have outside roosts - I've beenmeaining to put one or two up but haven't yet. They have the ramp going up into their house (it's very similar to the Palace design listed on here) and they go in and out every once in a while. I bluekoted and threw a bunch of scratch and mealworms around the run to preoccupy them a bit. Maybe I'll go grab a watermelon or something and let them stay busier! lol

Like I said - upon closer inspection it wasn't as raw as I feared when I first saw it. But, I don't want it to be. With the antibiotic on it they clearly are just going after the feathers now, and not the red spot of skin (mostly because it's not red any more! lol)

I'll keep an eye and see how it goes. Thanks all for the input so far.

 

[Runawaylobster]

I have same problem,

I just found one of them almost picked to death, .....

so I am going to give them away to someone who has facilities to baby them
and I won't get more until I have the correct facilities