Was this a predator or rooster?

[okiemamachick]

Yes I checked everyone's beers and I didn't see blood (my initial thought was chicken on chicken) then I heard the owls start going crazy in the trees around us :/ now I'm nervous that if it is chicken on chicken that keeping them in the run (they usually free range) will only escalate it....

 

[jhm47]

The original wound was not chicken on chicken. Something else (probably an owl) did it. However, if you pen the wounded hen with the others before she is pretty well healed, the others will likely start cannibalism on her. Chickens are omnivorous, and will happily eat their flockmates if one of them is injured. Be sure to wash the blood off her back and comb and let her heal well before putting her back with the others. Good luck!

 

[centrarchid]

Nothing about the damaged bird indicates owl damage. I deal with owls relatively frequently so have a handle on the type of damage they cause when it is short of actually killing a bird, and when bird is killed. I stress this because actual problem is likely more a function of how the birds are kept and it needs to be addressed. Otherwise you will continue blaming owls while having birds in a bad way. Owl proof now but consider other causes seriously.

 

[okiemamachick]

What makes you say that? I can't think of anything that I'm doing wrong? What should I look to change? The other bird's didn't have blood on their beeks they didn't seem agitated and from what I've seen haven't picked on her for being hurt either. ..

 

[okiemamachick]

Looks like chicken on chicken damage to head and not the find a rooster does to a hen. Verify gender of victim and make certain another "female" is not carrying out attacks. For now isolate damaged bird.

She is definitely 100% a hen she is one of the two leghorns I have had for over a year for a long time we only had the two and they were both laying so she is definitely a girl. We brought home 4 new hens a month ago and the leghorns (including the one pictured above) immediately dominated everybody else and the rooster has been here two weeks and I've never seen him be aggressive I'm a chicken watcher I love watching their behaviors and how they interact with eachother the only " fighting" I've seen are my leg horns pecking the other hens to chase them off of a good plot of scratch or things like that just typical pecking order crap as far as I can tell.

 

[centrarchid]

I am stating owl very likely not problem. Broaden your search and consider possibly aggression it not the problem as well.

 

[okiemamachick]

I would almost prefer it be C+C I feel I can handle that better than the owl situation.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I just went to lock up my group and I noticed one of my leg horns has the whole back of her comb bit off (what a bloody thing that is!)and right above her tail on her back appears bloody as well I will catch her in a bit and see if the blood on her back is from her comb but I'm 99% sure she has a wound there. Now as I'm peeking at her (she's not tame at all) I hear an owl in our tree line going crazy...did an owl just try and take my hen? I'm thinking claws into the back and beer grabbed the comb we do have a new rooster but I've witnessed him in action with other hens and he seems about as delicate as any other rooster idk what to think

Actually, I think it was your rooster. I just put a couple of hens in with a cockeral day before yesterday and yesterday when I was cleaning the pens my one little andulasian hen (the only one with a comb) was bleeding from her comb and head. Just like yours. She even had a bit of a swollen eye, blood on her head and splattered on the roost. The other hen seemed fine. I guess the rangy cockeral was too rough or persistant with her. It's a totally enclosed pen so there was not any thing else it could have been. I removed her to heal up and told her I would try her with someone else another day. That boy lacks finesse.

 

[JadedPhoenix]

She is definitely 100% a hen she is one of the two leghorns I have had for over a year for a long time we only had the two and they were both laying so she is definitely a girl. We brought home 4 new hens a month ago and the leghorns (including the one pictured above) immediately dominated everybody else and the rooster has been here two weeks and I've never seen him be aggressive I'm a chicken watcher I love watching their behaviors and how they interact with eachother the only " fighting" I've seen are my leg horns pecking the other hens to chase them off of a good plot of scratch or things like that just typical pecking order crap as far as I can tell.

How did you introduce your chickens? The four new hens should just now be coming out of quarantine and the rooster should still be in it. Once out of quarantine, introduction slowly is key. They should be able to see but not touch at first as they and your initial flock begin to sort out the new pecking order in the safety of separation through chicken wire or some other barrier.

This looks like damage caused by one of the other chickens; possibly as a group on the lone victim. Sorry. This kind of thing can happen when not introduced properly.

 

[aart]

Is it possible that she got her head stuck in or scraped on something?...I just had one tear open her comb on a concrete block.