Dopey has a bleeding foot

[tortoiseSHELL]

Any thoughts on stopping the other horrible hens pecking her to bits? I shut her up in the house today, will let the others in when it gets darker. I've also ordered some wound powder and gentian violet spray which won't come till Monday.

Any thoughts? I could put her in a rabbit hutch tonight, but it would stress her out.

I've put her in the rabbit hutch now which she is NOT pleased about! But at least she can get some peace and quiet while her foot mends.

This happened to my very first and original hen. The other hens pecked a hole in her head . I had to move her, she lived a pampered life in a little run of her own and roaed the garden by day.

Oh poor thing. Did you try and reintegrate her at all? I hope Dopey will go back in with the others, but if not, will get her a mini run!

No she never went back. This was a few years ago now so sadly she died anyway but she enjoyed her last six months wandering the garden.

How horrible! Hope she gets better soon

at Meghalegs chook with the hole in the head!

Has the bleeding stopped? If you clean it up with cooled boiled water & cotton wool in the morning and the wound is dry you could try putting her back in the main run and keep an eye on them - the other hens will probably mob her a bit anyway just because she's been out for the night. But if the cut still looks like a pecking-possibility then leave her where she is until you can squirt her with purple spray. Is she in view of the other hens? - it tends to make reintroducing them easier.

And if the purple spray doesn't work, then go with 'a place of ones own'. (Which you could add one or two new 'essential companion' hens too)...!

I think the bleeding has stopped DofN - she looks quite happy in her hutch. I will give her another day in the hutch, and then maybe try and put her back in tomorrow. But if it's impossible, then, oh dear, may need to keep her in her own run - and I did wonder about getting a nice chicken to go in with her!

Well, the foot is healed. So this morning I tried putting Dopey back in with the others. All started well - I'd given them some broccoli to peck at to divert them from Dopey. (I would have put her in last night, but our hens are escapologists, and our fence is down which isn't a good combination when it's dark!). However, Ginger our mean BlackRock really did start to have a go at poor Dopey. So I let them all into the garden (guarding the hole in the fence), but Ginger still had a go at Dopey, and I didn't want to risk her getting injured again as she is still a bit quiet. What I did notice was that Honey who is the other Goldline (Dopey is as well) defended Dopey - leaping on Ginger's back and pecking her when she attacked Dopey.

So I don't really know what to do - I've put Dopey back in the rabbit hutch for now. Options are; get a smallish house and run (plus another chicken? Very Happy for company) for Dopey, or persevere with trying to put her back - if so, what is the best tactic? She is definitely bottom of the pecking order, so it could just be a vicious cycle for her. And if I'm honest the other 3 look happier for having a bit more space in the run.

I would have said persevere with putting Dopey back but if run space is an issue then perhaps it's best all round to get her a little house. What about a moveable ark with a hard mesh bottom so she won't decimate the lawn and predators can't dig in - if you didn't want another permanent run on slabs that is.

Maybe she could have a little bantam to keep her company? Something well behaved and a superb broody like a Silkie?

Glad her foot has healed up - do you know how she did it?

no idea how she did it. She is still quite pale which is why I didn't want to put her into a stressful bullying situation. I wondered about a little ark, with maybe a little white hen to keep her company! Something like an amber star or a white star. (Can you tell this is the way my mind is working?).

Tbh if it is Ginger who is the problem (and not really so much the other hens) I would segregate her and put her in the rabbit hutch

Try spraying all the chickens with diluted vinegar and then putting dopey back at night.

t/shell - I have an Amber Star. She's a horrible, bad tempered old boot and if she wasn't past her roasting prime I'd eat her!

hmc, I think that probably would be the solution. She is evil. But what worries me is that if I took her out and put Dopey in, that one of the others would take the role of 'top hen' and still bully Dopey, who has always been completely docile and submissive. And given that she is still under the weather (pale) I really don't want to stress her.

And I like the idea of a new hen

What do you think is the most docile? White Stars are notoriously flighty, but does that translate to mean or scared? What about Bluebelles?

Well, Dopey is SO much better. In fact she looks better than she has done for weeks. Her comb is redder, and actually seems to be growing. And all this is living in a rabbit hutch. I'm letting her out each day in the garden, and she goes and says hello to the others - evil Ginger has a peck at her through the bars, and part of me is very satisfied that poor Dopey is out and having a nice time while Ginger is stuck in the coop.

So I'm going to get a smallish coop/run and a friend for her! Now what to get...

Good for Dopey! She does sound happy. Our broody has been in a rabbit hutch for over 3 weeks and even though the chicks have hatched she seems quite happy!

So I now need another hen house for about 20 birds - our local DIY store is closing down and they have 6ft x 4ft sheds for sale for £95 so I might buy one and then reinforce the walls with plywood and fit some perches/nest boxes myself. If I have that much space I might buy some Lavendar Araucana eggs for the incubator... (not from ebay though)!

Where do you buy your hens and what might they have to tempt you????

Well, I've so far been to two places - Domestic Fowl Trust in Worcestershire, and Cotswold Chickens in Banbury - CC is fantastic, DFT was ok. But I've found 2 places closer to me that both stock hybrids - I think I could get any of Amber Star, White Star, Bluebelle - all of which I would like. Or I could go a little firther afield and get something more interesting like a brahma or cochin (which I'd love, but may be too big for a little 2 hen run). Or possibly a Fenton Blue which would lay blue eggs. I don't know - what to get!

Going to get a new coop for Dopey tomorrow, and to look at some chickens, thought will probably not get one tomorrow - will let Dopey settle in first.

Have sprayed her foot with the Gentian Violet stuff, and she now has purple feet! Which is very funny!!!

I had a purple & yellow chick last month! I sprayed the back of a chick that had been dried onto the shell, it was rather groovy!

Bloody shed I was going to buy is sold out. Grrr! I will now have to spend 3 times as much on a proper chicken house. And soon, I'd forgotten how fast chicks grow!

How annoying about the shed. The lady I spoke to yesterday says she has some coops for 4-6 hens at £189, so I'm hoping they're nice.

Dopey looks like she is wearing purple shoes! Very cool!

I have narrowed 'new hen' down to White Star (described as flightly, so probably wouldn't bully Dopey, and lovely white eggs), Bluebelle (big, so would stick up for herself, and very pretty, but described as gentle) or Amber Star (beautiful, but possibly more aggressive to Dopey).

We have Goldlines they are lovely, no pecking of each other at all. If they are hurt, Savlon spray seems to help with healing and stops the other hens having any interest in pecking at it.

Do not get the Amber Star. Ours is a beetch! The White Star or Bluebelle sound better.

I'm thinking White Star, though she won't be able to go in the garden till the fence is fixed - don't fancy chasing a 'flighty' bird down the street...(am starting to wonder about white star AND bluebelle, but think dh might actually kill me...)

Also, if I got 2, then if they turned out to be evil like Ginger, Honey could go in with Dopey, and they could try their luck with Ginger!