The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Brijjy on February 18, 2012, 07:00:54 pm
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I went to shut the chooks up tonight and my Orpington cockeral was covered in blood. Thinking one of the other boys had had a scrap with him I checked them all over. Not a speck of blood on any of the other boys. I then inspected the girls, nothing. So I have no idea what happened there. Luckily he is ok, just bloodied around his wattles and comb and looking sorry for himself.
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poor chap, hope he and the others are okay ...
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I've had a similar thing with some of my white Leghorn hens, I went to lock them up and it looked like a bloodbath on their feathers. They turned out to have cuts on their combs caused by being pecked by some of the other birds in the flock.
They healed up very quickly but just make sure that they're not being bullied as once hens see blood they keep going back to peck at it.
Good luck.
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sounds like bullying. just keep an eye on him if you want to keep him? is he treading? was he outside on his own? is he beating up the others/ have been beating the others?
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mine do that occassionally. someone beaten him up, poor thing, with mine is usually another cockeral and theyl both be filthy dirty to (mine r white)
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ours do that...... when the wattle is pecked it squirts everywhere and is quite a shock :o
a bit like varicose veins popping in the bathrooms!! ;D ::) (or supermarkets ::)
Mx
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a bit like varicose veins popping in the bathrooms!! ;D ::) (or supermarkets ::)
Eugghh!! :D
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We had an Orpington top cockerel called '10 point' ,from his comb shape. The second in the pecking order was '7 point'. One morning 10 point was 9 and covered in blood. Next morning 9 point was 8 and more blood. Turns out 7 point used to wait and attack him when he went into the coop, because he was the last in and his eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness he couldn't see the attack coming. Of course 7 point was so quickly in and away he didn't get blood on himself and ate the evidence! But I caught him in the act the following night.
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Orpington cock is now fine. He is treading hens but only the ones that belong to him. I have not seen any of the other cocks beating him up and he is in his house with only other hens at night. I will be separating the cocks when spring is finally sprung as I will be hatching eggs. They all go out together in the winter when hormones are less vigorous ;)
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I went out last night to a very strange sight, both my RIR and buff Orpington cockerals totally soaked to the bone. Can only think they had had a to do and had fallen in the water trough mid scrap. Donuts.
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We got given a coq that was the sole survivor of his dad's bloody battles with other coqs. The dad now has one eye and trips over things and took a real pasting. He was called Nelson
We got given the survivor and thought that we should name him Napoleon -