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Our light sussex hen - who has always been the boss around the other three is in a bit of a state today. When we came home and let them out after lunch she was no where to be seen - just lots of blood splatters around the pop hole and just inside on the newspaper we use to line the coop. There was blood on the roof of the coop and on the nestbox roof also.
Oh no! I thought that Mr Fox had visited - but the other 3 hens were untroubled and I saw no forced entry.
When I looked in the nestbox, there was Bethan, cowering down and blood splattered, but still alive.
Her rear has been almost completely de-nuded though! There was cuts around her vent and it looked as though the feathers had been torn out!!!
We cleaned her up a bit with warm water and a clean cloth soaked in antiseptic and ahe now looks less like a victim from a horror movie.
She has been drinking a lot and seems very docile, maybe in a bit of shock?
I have bought some anti feather pecking spray and given the area a good spray of that - it smells horrible - which is probably a good thing. When she went outside the run one of the others run up to her and tried a peck - but retreated in disgust as the spray did it's stuff!
She's just gone into roost now, so I will go and shut them up for the night, or do you think we should keep her inside tonight - we have a biggish cardboard box that might do.
Is there any other action we should take?
What do you think?
Help please, all advice gratefully recieved as this is the first crisis we've hit.
David
Oh no! I thought that Mr Fox had visited - but the other 3 hens were untroubled and I saw no forced entry.
When I looked in the nestbox, there was Bethan, cowering down and blood splattered, but still alive.
Her rear has been almost completely de-nuded though! There was cuts around her vent and it looked as though the feathers had been torn out!!!
We cleaned her up a bit with warm water and a clean cloth soaked in antiseptic and ahe now looks less like a victim from a horror movie.
She has been drinking a lot and seems very docile, maybe in a bit of shock?
I have bought some anti feather pecking spray and given the area a good spray of that - it smells horrible - which is probably a good thing. When she went outside the run one of the others run up to her and tried a peck - but retreated in disgust as the spray did it's stuff!
She's just gone into roost now, so I will go and shut them up for the night, or do you think we should keep her inside tonight - we have a biggish cardboard box that might do.
Is there any other action we should take?
What do you think?
Help please, all advice gratefully recieved as this is the first crisis we've hit.
David
. I also move the victim to a different place sometimes, but I've not resorted to separating them yet. I have a big cage thing set up ready in case I need it - all the others have explored it and stamped around in it making it smell nice (??) and chickeny, and taking their after-lunch siesta in there, so it should feel like a mini-home if things get desperate 
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