Pecking chickens face

[molliedogspabottom]

Hi,
I have been a member for a while now but life's been moving too fast and so haven't been around the site for ages.

However I desperately need help at the moment, all my hens have been together for several years now but one is suddenly being pecked around her eye on the red area, the bleeding is excessive and I don't know what to do.

It happened about ten days ago and we spent an hour trying to stop the blood, I had no talc or blood stop so resorted to using flour, not very conventional but it did the job.

We kept her separated for three days and when nicely cleaned up we put her back in the run, everything ok and now suddenly she is pecked again.


I only have nine hens now no cockerel, they are virtually free range in a massive run in the paddock, they get ACV in their drinking water, just finished worming them, they have pellets and mash and maize every day loads of scratching around.

What more can I do, I have the purple spray but worried about spraying so close to her eyes.

Can anyone help please

 

[Marigold]

Hi Mollie, good to hear from you again, but I'm sorry you have a problem with your hen.
You did the right thing in isolating her for a while, but maybe it might have worked better of you introduced her to the coop at night when the others had all gone to sleep, as one would with new birds? When they sleep together they seem to wake up all smelling the same and it reduces aggression. The trouble with isolating a bird, however necessary, is that they forget her and so she loses her place in the pecking order. When separated, was she within sight of the others, maybe separated by a mesh fence? This also helps them to remember who she is.
You're right about not spraying near her eyes, but if you squirt some of the purple stuff onto a saucer you can then dip a cotton bud into it and apply it neatly where it's needed. This was a trick I learned when I kept quails, who were always fighting and getting face injuries!

 

[molliedogspabottom]

Hi marigold,

We did reintroduce her at night and there has been no problem for about six days , everything cleared up and then suddenly she is attacked again.

Thanks for the tip about using a cotton bud, will try that tonight.

 

[chrismahon]

I think you need to identify the assailant Mollie -this behaviour may now be a habit. Perhaps then fit a Bumpa bit to her, assuming it is just one individual?