Calling all chicken experts! ANOTHER Question...

[i_am2bz]

Hey ya'll, I have a problem with one of my hens...She has a bald patch on her lower neck (sorry, don't know the technical term), where I have suspected the other hens have been plucking out her feathers. I say "suspected" because I haven't actually witnessed this, & someone once told me she could be doing it to herself. It's definitely not moult; none of the hens have moulted.

Any way, at lunch time I went out to give them their corn-on-the-cob treat )) & noticed that she now has a spot of blood in that area. Now I'm really concerned, because I'm even more afraid the other hens will gang up on her.

So, what should I do? Should I separate her from the others to see if it gets better? If so, can I put her back in the coop with the others at night? I'm worried! :/

 

[lalaland]

well, a couple of things:

clean off the blood, and if you have blue-kote, spray it on - it makes the area purple, covers the red which will cause hens to peck more. if you don't have blue kote, try something - magic marker? Hens peck at red....

secondly, hens are more likely to pick on each other if they are crowded and can't get away - so if you can get them more room, do so. Also, give them more to do - right now mine are more likely to be in the coop because of the snow, so I make sure to give them things like old cabbages, apples, etc to keep them busy, and to scatter boss on the hay to also keep them busy.

keep an eye on the hen, if the pecking continues and she gets bloodier, you will have to intervene. On rare occassions, hens will kill each other by going after the blood. You can try giving her a duct tape bandage - just fasten a piece of duct tape to her feathers, not her skin - it will fall off in a couple of days but will give her skin a chance to heal.

I am assuming the protein is adequate in your feed- and that the pecking is due to pecking order exacerbated by a docile hen, and made worse by close quarters. If this doesn't seem to fit, write more!

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Yes, those are all good suggestions. I have made clothing in the past, not used duct tape, find an old sock and cut the toe off, slit the now tube half way up, put it over her head with the slit to the back end and bottom. Now cut two more slits for the wings to be through and tie the sides over her back getting the middle involved in the knot or just make the cuts just a hole and put the wings through (the hen has to be fairly tolerant to make this one work, fold the wing and put it through) and your done.

But really prevention is best, get them something better to do! If you have a rooster it can be from him holding her too, she may be most submissive to him so being bred too often. Giving him a time out pen will help if that is the case.

 

[patandchickens]

Actually even if you *think* their protein intake is adequate IMHO it is still worth offering them some high-protein snacks (extra eggs cooked scrambled-or-mashed and fed back to them, or meat scraps from the kitchen, or freezerburned bits of meat that you cook and toss to the chickens). Protein levels in layer feeds are pitched to the "average" chicken and some individuals at some times in their life seem to have higher needs, especially if they have recently been molting.

Do check closely for mites/lice, too... that is *probably* not your problem if it is just this one hen and the bald spot is on the neck, but itchiness *can* make them do that so you'd want to rule it out.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[FarmerDenise]

I agree with what's been said.
I tend to bring a chicken in the house overnight for observation. But I have a bathroom that I use as "hospital" anytime I need one

 

[i_am2bz]

Thanks, ya'll! Frankly, I can't see trying to put a sock over this chicken ( ) but I could probably try duct tape...altho would it stick to her feathers with all this melting snow...?

I give them Layena crumbles as their feed, supplemented with "treats" like corn, apples, broccoli, & oatmeal...and am trying my hand at sprouting lentils & sunflower seeds.

I do worry about them being bored, because I can't free-range them because of the hawks...I have a tractor for them, but December has been so cold that all my grass & clover has died (not to mention being covered with snow now anyway). :/

I don't think they're over-crowded, but maybe...their run is 8' x 16' plus their coop is about 6' x 8'...does that sound like too little space for 4 hens...? We don't have a rooster so it's definitely not that.

I try to space out their treats so they have something new to peck at every few hours or so. I will try to find the blue kote - think they would have that at TSC...?

(Oh yeah - DH would just LOVE putting a chicken in the bathroom...NOT!)

 

[justusnak]

This time of year is really hard on the chickens....they can't get out, and tend to "pick" on each other. What I do is...hang a head of cabbage...its a "target" for them and a treat! My coops average 8 x 10, and I have between 6 and 7 hens and a rooster per pen. Definately check them for mites. Tractor Supply will have the Blue Kote...it really helps! Just be prepared to come out of there with as much on you as her. Hey, purple is a good color! LOL

 

[Wifezilla]

You could hang a cabbage on a string. It gives them something to jump and peck at. Toy + snack = happy chickens.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

The best part of putting them in a sock is watching them run backwards and in turns till they figure out they can't get out of it.

Right after that they accept it totally, and the other birds tend then to pull on the sock rather than bug her, if they do anything at all. Even my wilder hens get over the sock in minutes. BTW the heel is best at the chest/crop so that the sock bends with her body, forgot to mention that.

I put a towel on the floor of the shower in the laundry room bathroom when a bird needs to be in. Easier to clean than a dog crate, just take the chicken and the towel out and run the shower, scrub and rinse again. It's the most use that shower gets. Has a glass door so it's secure.

 

[Emerald]

I've taken meat out of the freezer that has been freezer burned before and hung it on a string for the chickens to pick at and it works fairly well to keep them from harassing each other.
Also I had a few winter squashes freeze on me one year in our shed and we would give them to the chickens once a week- it sure took them quite a while to eat them but they loved it. I am thinking about growing more squashes and pumpkins to just give them in the winter... Plus it makes the yolks really nice and orange in the winter.