Would YOU ever allow this hen to be bred again?

[Noellereagan]

So last fall, I take my sweet silkied serama Pullet (plus 21 others) to a show over 7 hours away. Amidst some stuff competition, my sweet chewy (shirt for Chewbacca), the afore mentioned, wins best of breed. To my shock actually. I had a few in mid that I thought would be good candidates for that- she wasn’t one. But anyway, the judge clearly noticed something in her that I couldn’t yet see. Since October, she has grown into herself and lost her awkwardness. She is beautiful.

Last month, around the first of the year, her mate since hatch, literally- it has been the two of them alone in their pen since they came out of the egg- and they are insanely bonded which is really why she came to the show where she took top billing within the breed- to keep her mate company- so he suddenly decides he was going to take the path of the chicken equivalent to Jeffery dalhmer (after all, we do live just 20 min from Milwaukee). He scalps her. I mean the entire top of the head. Skin, feathers and even comb- GONE. I return from the hospital after an ambulance ride myself, to find the poor girl in shock clinging to life. I thought she would die. Much to my pleasant surprise, she pulls through for a complete recovery. BUT she is permanently scarred. Her comb is lost and gone forever. I don’t believe her feathers will ever grow back. The skin that once covered the top of her skull is now rolled down and healed snugly to the base of her skull. All that cover the top of her head is brand new skin. Other than a kind of icky freak show kind of vibe it’s life as usual. I have her in her own pen still, butted up next to other serama. She’s happy as can be. Really bonded with me through the healing process.

My question is, since roosters really use the comb and feathers on top of the skull to kind of grip while breeding, can she ever be bred? I would hate to see a rooster grab the top of that head no matter how much Time has passed. Obviously not the homicidal chicken as far as mates but does anyone have any good experiences with breeding a hen that sustained this type of severe injury? She’s turned out so nice, I’d love to hatch some babies from her but not if it will bring her more discomfort. If that’s the case she’ll just be a pet for the rest of her life. I’ll put her in my gentile/ specials needs pen where two other formerly injured pullets that I rescued reside. She’s next to them in her pen now and is familiar. Hell, what’s one more?

To clarify, she was a late July 2019 hatch, this happened in the first few days of 2020. I wouldn’t consider breeding her until at least spring of next year giving her healing a good amount of time to really completely heal over.

Any input? Thanks a bunch!

 

[sourland]

I would be tempted to get some fertile eggs from her. I would use monitored mating where I placed the rooster into her pen and removed him after a witnessed mating. Since hens retain sperm for significant periods of time I would only do this periodically. It sounds as if she has the DNA that you would like to perpetuate.

 

[Henry&Friends]

I see my rooster grabbing my hens by the feathers on the back of the neck when they mate. If you Want to hatch out her eggs, I would also do supervised breeding, as @sourland said. Hopefully her feathers will grow back out in due time, it’s nice to see you’ve got a plan for your injured hens

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The more burning question that i have is »What to do with the butcher rooster?«.

 

[hayley3]

So last fall, I take my sweet silkied serama Pullet (plus 21 others) to a show over 7 hours away. Amidst some stuff competition, my sweet chewy (shirt for Chewbacca), the afore mentioned, wins best of breed. To my shock actually. I had a few in mid that I thought would be good candidates for that- she wasn’t one. But anyway, the judge clearly noticed something in her that I couldn’t yet see. Since October, she has grown into herself and lost her awkwardness. She is beautiful.

Last month, around the first of the year, her mate since hatch, literally- it has been the two of them alone in their pen since they came out of the egg- and they are insanely bonded which is really why she came to the show where she took top billing within the breed- to keep her mate company- so he suddenly decides he was going to take the path of the chicken equivalent to Jeffery dalhmer (after all, we do live just 20 min from Milwaukee). He scalps her. I mean the entire top of the head. Skin, feathers and even comb- GONE. I return from the hospital after an ambulance ride myself, to find the poor girl in shock clinging to life. I thought she would die. Much to my pleasant surprise, she pulls through for a complete recovery. BUT she is permanently scarred. Her comb is lost and gone forever. I don’t believe her feathers will ever grow back. The skin that once covered the top of her skull is now rolled down and healed snugly to the base of her skull. All that cover the top of her head is brand new skin. Other than a kind of icky freak show kind of vibe it’s life as usual. I have her in her own pen still, butted up next to other serama. She’s happy as can be. Really bonded with me through the healing process.

My question is, since roosters really use the comb and feathers on top of the skull to kind of grip while breeding, can she ever be bred? I would hate to see a rooster grab the top of that head no matter how much Time has passed. Obviously not the homicidal chicken as far as mates but does anyone have any good experiences with breeding a hen that sustained this type of severe injury? She’s turned out so nice, I’d love to hatch some babies from her but not if it will bring her more discomfort. If that’s the case she’ll just be a pet for the rest of her life. I’ll put her in my gentile/ specials needs pen where two other formerly injured pullets that I rescued reside. She’s next to them in her pen now and is familiar. Hell, what’s one more?

To clarify, she was a late July 2019 hatch, this happened in the first few days of 2020. I wouldn’t consider breeding her until at least spring of next year giving her healing a good amount of time to really completely heal over.

Any input? Thanks a bunch!

She may have PTSD from that. I know that when my rooster who split my hen's head open, she was so petrified of him...she would scream and run and then wedge herself behind something she felt would protect her anytime she saw him. It was awful...I got rid of him because she was so petrified.

 

[Noellereagan]

I would be tempted to get some fertile eggs from her. I would use monitored mating where I placed the rooster into her pen and removed him after a witnessed mating. Since hens retain sperm for significant periods of time I would only do this periodically. It sounds as if she has the DNA that you would like to perpetuate.

Yes. Exactly. That’s kind of what I was planning. I’m going to respond to a post below so my reply will continue there. Thanks so much for responding.

 

[Noellereagan]

She may have PTSD from that. I know that when my rooster who split my hen's head open, she was so petrified of him...she would scream and run and then wedge herself behind something she felt would protect her anytime she saw him. It was awful...I got rid of him because she was so petrified.

That’s what I would guess too. Hell, if it happened to me that’s how I’d feel. What’s crazy is this: she can see him still and all she does is try to get back to him. He’s alone now. He’s a serama and he’s going to a teenage boy who’s going to show- and not breed him (that’s the plan now). I don’t want to put him on any of my hens after that move. I have a few more gentleman roosters equally as nice as the Jeffrey dahmer of the serama world. I want zero part of him. I’m giving him to the young man at no cost. Both him, his mother and his father have been made aware of the scalping and situation including photos. He will be housed in side by side serama housing but not with any birds I don’t think. The boy is interested in showing and psycho little a-hole roo is a showman on the table top or in cage at apa like nobody’s business. He was hatched July 22,2019 and since then he’s brought home more than ten blue ribbons. And I do not show every weekend. Every time he went he got a blue. But that type volatile disposition is not something I want in or near my breeding program. I know some would say any bird is valuable of this- and that could be true. But it has happened here once and he won’t be given a second chance to go all dahmer on a hen under my roof a second time. (I’m sure you know my serial killer reference here but just Incase you don’t, he was a demonic Wisconsin resident who Lived about twenty min from my home and they say the crazy pants came off all kind and docile. That is, until they found all the younger men who he did unspeakable things to before he dismembered them and put them in the freezer- when I seen that poor hens head that what I thought of- Dahmer of the chicken world. No disrespect intended to the poor poor souls and their families who this sicko victimized. Just a twisted human - poultry comparison to convey the brutal nature of the dark deed. Being I am have enough Cherokee blood to spear fish if I wanted- which I don’t- perhaps I should’ve gone with the more appropriate Native American scalping analogy. But hell, I’m committed now. And it is I who prob seems crazy if you’re still reading. But if you are, I hope you got a laugh. That was my intention)
And also, thank you very much for the advice. Is your hen still skittish since then? I cannot imagine how unimaginable that pain must have been.

 

[Noellereagan]

The more burning question that i have is »What to do with the butcher rooster?«.

My little serial killer? LOL. see my reply above.

 

[Noellereagan]

I see my rooster grabbing my hens by the feathers on the back of the neck when they mate. If you Want to hatch out her eggs, I would also do supervised breeding, as @sourland said. Hopefully her feathers will grow back out in due time, it’s nice to see you’ve got a plan for your injured hens

Thanks. I can honestly say that wasn’t always the case. But after a stinky little silkie who was injured lived in a pen in the living room for six months while she fully recovered- it was then I decided I would come up with a plan for the inevitable day. Cecal excrement Odor lingering in the air so have that you can almost taste it (I nearly threw up in my mouth with the memory of it) during your favorite movie and popcorn with the family, can clear that room in a hurry. I became very inspired to devise my hurt hen hangout during those days. But like anything- it’s all a learning curve, right? I always tell people that when they put up a coop, they also need an isolation area, a separate hospital pen and a hurt hen hangout if they aren’t in pain and pets. Oh, and if you’re going to hatch, a nursery. That I do have indoors. It’s my favorite room in the house that used to be my home office. Sorry about all the rambling. Your comment made me think of these things. When I started in poultry I never gave areas like this a second thought. Thankfully we have the acreage to keep them far enough apart in high hopes of not spreading any possible disease- being away it’s not even always 100% possible to actually stop the spread of some (scary). But I’ve often wondered what chicken keepers who live in the suburbs do if the should have a need for things like isolation? But do not have the square footage. Basement maybe? But not every state has basements. I suppose that’s a topic for another thread or article entirely.
Anyway, thanks for replying. I am going to give her to to completely heal. Although it looks healed there’s not been enough passage of time. When I feel she’s ready I’m going to follow this advice and supervise a breeding. Just not with that particular jerk face rooster.

 

[hayley3]

But it has happened here once and he won’t be given a second chance to go all dahmer on a hen under my roof a second time. (I’m sure you know my serial killer reference here Is your hen still skittish since then? I cannot imagine how unimaginable that pain must have been.

Yes I know the dahmer reference. Gives me the shivers just hearing that name.
I got rid of my rooster. He had too many bad behaviors, in addition to slicing open my hen's head, which was enough on its own. I'm envious of people who say they have good roosters. I raised that one from a baby and the hen he would flog and go after was his sister so to speak, just as yours was, they were hatched together. Her injuries were brutal.