Should I be Worried?????? Blood in Coop This Morning. . .

[Peppercorngal]

I frequently see blood smeared on walls, doors, feeders and water founts but that comes from the roosters' combs rubbing on them. I've never seen that much blood drip unless it was from a slit throat.

Well, at least I can rule out any slit throats! All chickens are alive and are counted for. Tonight when they go to "bed" I'll try to examine each one more carefully. They have roosts from 4 ft to 7 ft so I'll have to get my ladder, but I'll do it!

 

[Peppercorngal]

Does any of you're birds have (ILT) Infectious Laryngotracheitis? ILT can cause this as well as a severe case of coccidiosis. You'd definitely see symptoms for either. I'm trying to cover other possibilities.

I'd say no on the laryngotrachitis and the coccidosis. Everyone is eating, pooing, running around after bugs, acting totally normally. No exhaustion or coughing or pulmonary symptoms at all. No weird poop either. I sat out and watched them for a couple of hours today and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. I gathered 20 eggs so far today and have 4 more in nesting boxes. ??????? It's a mystery.

 

[Justso]

My chickens will tear mice apart. It's brutal and bloody.

 

[Peppercorngal]

I cleaned all the blood off of all the surfaces. (what a pain in the butt that was) The next morning there was no new blood and I never did figure out where it came from. . . . . .

 

[Henriettamom919]

oh. . . I better start looking some more. It's very difficult to examine 29 grown chickens during the daytime!

@ChickenCanoe has a brilliant system for medicating/worming but I think it would work for health inspections, too.

As you give each chick a once over looking for injury/bleeding attach a zip tie to the ankle of each completed chicken. This way you can do small groups of a few at a time without losing track of who you've checked already. Just snip them off once you've either found the culprit of been through the group!

Good luck! I hope it's nothing too serious!

 

[Peppercorngal]

@ChickenCanoe has a brilliant system for medicating/working but I think it would work for health inspections, too.

As you give each chick a once over looking for injury/bleeding attach a zip tie to the ankle of each completed chicken. This way you can do small groups of a few at a time without losing track of who you've checked already. Just snip them off once you've either found the culprit of been through the group!

Good luck! I hope it's nothing too serious!

I have plastic bands on most (not all) of my chickens so I can tell them apart for reasons like this. I never found any bleeding from combs, toes, vents, nothin! I cleaned the coop and roosts and never saw blood in there again. The mystery will remain, I'm happy that it wasn't one of my girls that was injured!

 

[Henriettamom919]

I have plastic bands on most (not all) of my chickens so I can tell them apart for reasons like this. I never found any bleeding from combs, toes, vents, nothin! I cleaned the coop and roosts and never saw blood in there again. The mystery will remain, I'm happy that it wasn't one of my girls that was injured!

Well that is bizarre! Having said that I'm glad everyone is okay! Stuff like that drives me crazy(er)!

 

[Duck_life]

could have been a barn owl eating its meal?