What is happening here?

[EmmaDonovan]

All hens are 22 months old, laying, eating and drinking, poop is normal, eyes clear and alert, moving normally. We handle each chicken every day and was the first day we found this so it hasn't been there for too long. We examined the other nine hens and didn't find anything.

This is on my golden Easter Egger, below and to the right of her vent.

This is in about the same place one of my white leghorns.

The other white leghorn also has a baldish spot about in the same place (she was very wiggly, hard to get a good shot).

Both leghorns have had scraggly tails for the past 2-3 days. They are my top two bullies (one thinks she's a rooster). It doesn't seem likely someone else has done this much damage to their tails. The EE mentioned above is also high-ranking.

 

[thecatumbrella]

First photo looks like bruising from getting pecked. Tail photos look like someone’s been mouthing at them. The stands will start to stick together like that, which draws even MORE attention. In my limited experience, I see the mouthing from lower ranking/anxious birds.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

First photo looks like bruising from getting pecked. Tail photos look like someone’s been mouthing at them. The stands will start to stick together like that, which draws even MORE attention. In my limited experience, I see the mouthing from lower ranking/anxious birds.

That's interesting about the tails, it would have started after they got a little rained on the other day. I did notice one tail was wet this afternoon. I figured it just got dipped in the trough waterer.

So this is all a result of bullying? Someone is bullying the bullies?? Good grief, these hens.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

There's a reason "hen-pecked" is a word. Hope you can get a handle on this!

 

[EmmaDonovan]

So the high-ranking bullies are now bullying each other? What in the world. I haven't seen it but then I'm not watching them 24/7.

The golden EE is also missing feathers in a line across her chest, like this (black dotted line).

I haven't seen it but I'm guessing she pulls those out herself, since it's where she can reach? Sometimes there are little bits of blood, too. I tried to take a picture but she doesn't like to be touched there and got all wiggly. Don't parrots pull their own feathers out like that when they're going insane? Is she that unhappy? She doesn't seem like it.

I have four hens who more or less get along (not these, obviously). Four. And only because one of them moves so fast the others can't make contact. Unfortunately, they're my worst layers. I get 0-3 eggs per week from them. They're more like expensive pets at this point.

Sometimes I think each of the remaining eight hens needs to go to eight separate homes. Sometimes I think all of the hens need to go. I'd take a break for a while then start over with a new flock.

How should I treat those wounds?

 

[thecatumbrella]

That's interesting about the tails, it would have started after they got a little rained on the other day. I did notice one tail was wet this afternoon. I figured it just got dipped in the trough waterer.

So this is all a result of bullying? Someone is bullying the bullies?? Good grief, these hens.

In that case, it’s very possible they just got wet! I see the mouthing happen most when they’re in a preening pile. Someone gets a little too interested in someone else’s feathers. I’ve never taken it as bullying; it looks like more of a boredom or stress thing.

For the bruising, you could just hang out and watch them for a bit to see what’s going on. The culprits will likely not be able to keep away now that they’ve done some visible damage.

I (obviously) love chickens, but my gosh, can they be pains in the rear. Literally, in this case!

 

[thecatumbrella]

Sometimes I think all of the hens need to go. I'd take a break for a while then start over with a new flock.

How should I treat those wounds?

This is literally what I just went through. Taking a year off because the last flock just sapped the joy out of chicken keeping.

The wounds look like they’ve already started to scab over. You could spray with something like Veterycin if you really wanted to do something extra?

 

[EmmaDonovan]

This is literally what I just went through. Taking a year off because the last flock just sapped the joy out of chicken keeping.

The wounds look like they’ve already started to scab over. You could spray with something like Veterycin if you really wanted to do something extra?

Yeah, not a lot of joy with this group. Mostly worry and frustration. I hate the idea that any animals in my care might be suffering.

We've also had a lot of unexpected problems and expenses over the last two years, from our first coop being stolen out of the yard, to an ongoing war with the squirrels, to a tornado vaporizing the run and everything else in the yard but the coop (the flock was in the coop so they were okay). We keep trying different builds and configurations and groupings, trying to find some setup that works for this flock. It's exhausting.

There's still some joy. Seeing our scrawny little picked-on EE grow into a confident and friendly hen was amazing. I love sitting in the yard in the hammock watching the flock do their scratching and pecking in the warm sun, just happily being chickens. There's something sublime in knowing thousands of years of my ancestors have enjoyed doing the very same thing.

Some day I would like to have a flock that gets along, though.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Yeah, not a lot of joy with this group. Mostly worry and frustration. I hate the idea that any animals in my care might be suffering.

We've also had a lot of unexpected problems and expenses over the last two years, from our first coop being stolen out of the yard, to an ongoing war with the squirrels, to a tornado vaporizing the run and everything else in the yard but the coop (the flock was in the coop so they were okay). We keep trying different builds and configurations and groupings, trying to find some setup that works for this flock. It's exhausting.

There's still some joy. Seeing our scrawny little picked-on EE grow into a confident and friendly hen was amazing. I love sitting in the yard in the hammock watching the flock do their scratching and pecking in the warm sun, just happily being chickens. There's something sublime in knowing thousands of years of my ancestors have enjoyed doing the very same thing.

Some day I would like to have a flock that gets along, though.

That's right! I remember reading your posts about going through that. Unbelievably back luck.

I know exactly what you mean about still finding some joy, even when things are chaotic. I could count, on my two hands, the number of days I had in a six-month stretch that were positive. But those days were a glimpse into something I really, really want.

Hoping we're both able to achieve flock harmony one day.

 

[GravityWaves]

In that first picture you can see where the feathers have been plucked where it's bruised. Those wounds will be fine and heal on their own. The issue will be paying close enough attention to them so that it doesn't turn into full-blown cannibalism.

One of my first hens turned into a plucker. One day a bird had a few gone like the first pic. The next day I went out and had two birds with wounds on their butt where they had been "eaten." I didn't know which one it was (or if it was multiple birds) so I had to sneak back out there and saw one hen waiting for birds to go eat then she would pluck them. I got rid of that bird immediately, doctored the two wounded birds, and never had any more issues.

Hopefully it doesn't get that far with your birds and I wish you best of luck getting things squared away with your flock.