Roo bleeding from comb, face & neck...

[Ranitameya]

Went out to the coop this morning to find Darth, my 8 month old Leghorn X bleeding from multiple wounds on his comb, face, & neck. Blood was spattered all over the inside of the coop, but the 6 hens & my Cayuga drake all appear unscathed. My flock is always very peaceful; they don't often pick on each other, and no one seemed to be pecking at him at all... I took him inside and cleaned him up with a warm wet washcloth and patted some styptic powder on his comb to stop the flow. He's resting in the living room now with a bowl of warm oatmeal & some shredded apple. I went out & looked around in vain. I can't find a clue as to what happened; no little rodent corpses or anything... I can't even imagine how a rodent could have gotten up there because the ramp was up all night, & the coop sits about 3 feet off the ground. Any theories would be welcome. I am at a loss...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

He got in a fight with something. The drake maybe? A cat?

 

[Ranitameya]

He and Irving have been best pals since they were both about 3 months old. I've never seen them scrap at all, plus Irving is a Cayuga, so his bill isn't even sharp. There are cats around, but no way one could have gotten into the coop. The door was bolted, and the ramp pulls up like a draw-bridge, covering the hole in the floor. If something got in, it would have had to be really tiny, like a shrew...

 

[Ranitameya]

Took him back out to the coop this morning. Irving & the girls missed him. He's got a shiner, but looks well otherwise. Actually, he looks pretty proud of himself...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Don't know, weasels can get in a hole small enough for a mouse.

 

[Ranitameya]

Good point. I've never seen one around here, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. We have coyote, raccoon, possum, skunk, hawk, owls, etc. Most of them don't bother coming close enough to the yard with the dogs to get to the coop, though. Thankfully his face is not showing any signs of infection.