What attacked hen (UK)?

[The Happster]

Ouch!
Well it's in a very suspicious area.
Excessive mating can leave some nasty wounds.
But I'm assuming you have an all-hen flock.
Although I wouldn't excuse the hens yet at all.
I believe if it had been a predator, she wouldn't have gotten off so easily.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I am more and more inclined to think it was another chicken after all, although I am still quite baffled! We DO have a rooster but he has been here months now and has never touched her at all that I have seen (I have only seen him mount a few of our hens). He is still quite young and has no spurs and isn’t aggressive to them at all. I also have never seen him go inside the coop she was in where all the feathers are.

She is a high ranking hen (we have 14 hens and the rooster) and takes no nonsense from anyone but she is now afraid of the others and the more I read, the more I don’t think the damage fits with what any predators do.

 

[M Brennen]

Thank you. She is quite a resilient hen and I hope she will heal up OK. I flushed wound with saline then vetericyn and then applied antiseptic wound powder, but I’ve now found my neosporin for tomorrow! She had a good drink and is tucked away safely from everything for the night.

Sounds like a similar injury to one of we had when our dog attacked our chicken. She was literally being plucked when we pulled the dog off her. She survived. It does sound like something went to grab her and was unsuccessful. I would be hesitant to assumes mink as I would think they would be successful. I think an inexperienced rooster could do that too. We had one pull the feathers off a birds neck. She had a bald spot for the rest of her life.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Better pic of the wound but it doesn’t show you much! It looks awful but the photo is very misleading - since I didn’t have my neosporin to hand at the time I applied an antiseptic wound powder and that is all the white and yellow you see in the photo, it has formed a sort of crust on the wound. There are actually no signs of any infection and I still cannot see any puncture wounds.

She is actually clucking like she is broody and I am guessing she went into that coop to make a nest and upset someone in there already or was interrupted. I do now think it must’ve been another chicken which is both good and bad news I guess! I just can’t think what else would have done it.

I have only seen our rooster mount two other hens and he is quite graceful and does the job fairly quickly and without hassle, but I can’t exclude him from the possibilities.

 

[M Brennen]

That seems excessive for another hen in what I assume was a short period of time. I guess anything is possible. I have seen something like that injury from a rooster as well well as a dog.

 

[HollyWoozle]

That was my initial thought too, but I am just not sure anymore, quite confused! She is a fairly dominant hen too, not top of the pecking order but not far off it.

 

[HollyWoozle]

The mystery continues! Since finding Speckles wounded, she has been in the separate coop and run - it is totally sealed so nothing can get in. She is clucking like she is broody and today she has lost lots more feathers and there is now a further bald patch, like an extension of the wounded area, but the wound itself is same size and it's just bald below it.

I have spotted a few lice eggs on her and I will spray her tomorrow (and the rest of the flock), but couldn't spot any live ones. Of course there must be some but I don't think it would be enough to pull her own feathers out. I did read that hens sometimes pluck themselves when broody to make a nest?

Wondering now if she pulled feathers herself and perhaps drew blood then maybe got pecked by the others to make the wound.

Edited to add I found this article which shows a photo of a hen with an almost identical wound, pecked by another hen because she was broody and wouldn't move from the space the other chicken wanted to lay. We have one hen who likes to lay in that space where I found all the feathers: https://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/reasons-for-missing-feathers-in-html/

Doesn't explain why she is now doing it to herself but could be the answer to the wound!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If plucking for a nest, they pluck breast feathers so their skin is closer to the eggs - not back feathers.

 

[cmom]

From the picture it doesn't appear to be from being overly mounted by your male. Did you notice anything prior on her or did it happen suddenly? I have several game cameras up around on my property. I love my cameras. If it was a predator it will be back ortherwise you may be able to solve the mystery. Good luck...

 

[HollyWoozle]

If plucking for a nest, they pluck breast feathers so their skin is closer to the eggs - not back feathers.

I studied her more today and she has plucked a lot from her breast but definitely some more from the back have gone. Unless perhaps they were already loose or something? Very odd!

Her wound is healing up nicely and we haven't seen or heard any signs of any predators, so for now I simply have to assume it was another hen and hopefully a one-off. Chickens are forever a learning curve!

We have also ordered a trail camera to set up tomorrow just to see what lurks in the night.