First injury isolation question

[RuralAmy]

Hi all! Last night one of my sussex just started attaching my mystic Onyx when they got in the coop for bedtime last night. I went out to close the run door and noticed blood on my leghorns wing. After calling my husband out for inspection we found that Jinx (Mystic Onyx) had blood all over her comb. We immediately isolated her in the garage in an XL dog crate with food, water, and treats. She wouldn't let us clean much of the comb area so I put vetericyn ointment on it and let her be for the night. We watched the chick cam footage of the incident and sure enough, Amber (spotted sussex) tore Jinx's comb a but at the base and got her on the tip of the comb. She kept going after her non stop until she heard Mom a foot.

This morning we treated her wound again and put her back out in the run whilst still in the crate until she is fully healed. This is our first injury and isolation. We plan to isolate Amber after jinx is healed as shes always been a bully, just hasn't taken it to the point of blood lust.
Now to the point...how will this isolation affect Jinx's egg laying. I don't want her to become egg bound from the stress of isolation. Can I kick Amber out into the outdoor run, and let jinx roam free in the indoor run to possibly lay in the coop, then put back into the crate? What are my best options here?
(photo is of Jinx un-injured.)

 

[RuralAmy]

Hi all! Last night one of my sussex just started attaching my mystic Onyx when they got in the coop for bedtime last night. I went out to close the run door and noticed blood on my leghorns wing. After calling my husband out for inspection we found that Jinx (Mystic Onyx) had blood all over her comb. We immediately isolated her in the garage in an XL dog crate with food, water, and treats. She wouldn't let us clean much of the comb area so I put vetericyn ointment on it and let her be for the night. We watched the chick cam footage of the incident and sure enough, Amber (spotted sussex) tore Jinx's comb a but at the base and got her on the tip of the comb. She kept going after her non stop until she heard Mom a foot.

This morning we treated her wound again and put her back out in the run whilst still in the crate until she is fully healed. This is our first injury and isolation. We plan to isolate Amber after jinx is healed as shes always been a bully, just hasn't taken it to the point of blood lust.
Now to the point...how will this isolation affect Jinx's egg laying. I don't want her to become egg bound from the stress of isolation. Can I kick Amber out into the outdoor run, and let jinx roam free in the indoor run to possibly lay in the coop, then put back into the crate? What are my best options here?
(photo is of Jinx un-injured.)

Also a photo of the current setup. Turkey the Leghorn loves her friend and seems to want her out of isolation. Amber is in the back left of the photo by the fence.

 

[rosemarythyme]

She'll just lay in the crate/cage, it doesn't hurt anything.

That said, I really haven't found much need to isolate birds from minor injuries for long. Mostly you want to make sure there's no blood visible, as that will attract other birds to pick at it, but otherwise for a comb injury I'd have the bird back with the flock in 24 hours or so.

You look to have a good sized run, but it could use more clutter https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/page-6#post-25037140 to provide hiding spots and hopefully deter future scuffles.

 

[Bawkbok]

Keep in mind the longer you keep one isolated away from the flock, you will have to go through a reintegration process.
If your bully is relentless, it is causing stress among the flock. Have you considered culling the bully? You can also try pinless peepers on her to keep her from pecking others. I have not had a need to try them myself but I know many others here have and do use them on bully birds. Best of luck with your girl. I'm sorry this is happening to her.

 

[RuralAmy]

Keep in mind the longer you keep one isolated away from the flock, you will have to go through a reintegration process.
If your bully is relentless, it is causing stress among the flock. Have you considered culling the bully? You can also try pinless peepers on her to keep her from pecking others. I have not had a need to try them myself but I know many others here have and do use them on bully birds. Best of luck with your girl. I'm sorry this is happening to her.

That makes sense. Thank you. I don’t want Amber to get lonely being away from the flock but I also don’t know what else to do. She just started bullying Jinx and I’m not sure why, and it’s just in the coop at night. They are all good together during the day. All birds are healthy and living a spoiled life (I hope).

Should I just try maybe 3 days of isolation? Can I still bring her out to the outdoor run for a bit during the day to get outside time (she’d be able to see the rest of the flock)?

If isolation doesn’t work then we will rehome her. If no one wants her then I guess culling will have to happen, but I really don’t want to loose her.

 

[RuralAmy]

She'll just lay in the crate/cage, it doesn't hurt anything.

That said, I really haven't found much need to isolate birds from minor injuries for long. Mostly you want to make sure there's no blood visible, as that will attract other birds to pick at it, but otherwise for a comb injury I'd have the bird back with the flock in 24 hours or so.

You look to have a good sized run, but it could use more clutter https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/page-6#post-25037140 to provide hiding spots and hopefully deter future scuffles.

Thank you so much for your response. Really grateful. I will work on getting more clutter and hiding spots in the run (such a good idea).

We put her back with the flock yesterday and Amber was chill. We have cameras in the coop and run so we watched Amber to make sure she wouldn’t go after jinx again. All was calm last night. Tonight Amber was in the coop and started pecking and going after jinx again, really bad. We caught it in time before any further blood was drawn. She would not relent. We isolated Amber in the garage in an XL dog crate. How long do we keep Amber in isolation? It hurts my heart to separate her but she seems to continue the bullying.
When in isolation do we keep in the the garage without view of the flock for a week? It’s my first time separating a hen and I can’t seem to find what the proper isolation method is. Thank you again, for your help

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you so much for your response. Really grateful. I will work on getting more clutter and hiding spots in the run (such a good idea).

We put her back with the flock yesterday and Amber was chill. We have cameras in the coop and run so we watched Amber to make sure she wouldn’t go after jinx again. All was calm last night. Tonight Amber was in the coop and started pecking and going after jinx again, really bad. We caught it in time before any further blood was drawn. She would not relent. We isolated Amber in the garage in an XL dog crate. How long do we keep Amber in isolation? It hurts my heart to separate her but she seems to continue the bullying.
When in isolation do we keep in the the garage without view of the flock for a week? It’s my first time separating a hen and I can’t seem to find what the proper isolation method is. Thank you again, for your help

I've never had to isolate for bullying so not sure if it's better to deliberately separate her to essentially remove her from the pecking order, or if simple separation is enough. Hope someone with more experience can help on this.

 

[Jeff_Stone]

It sounds like you’re doing everything right by isolating Jinx to help her heal, and giving her some space to recover. As for her egg-laying, stress can certainly affect laying, but it’s less likely to cause egg binding unless there’s a significant or prolonged physical issue. Since you're planning to keep her isolated for her safety, I think your idea of letting her roam free in the indoor run for egg-laying is a good one. That way, she can still have access to a more familiar environment while avoiding further stress from the others.

For Amber, isolating her after Jinx heals sounds like a solid plan. It’ll give Jinx some time to recuperate, and hopefully Amber will learn not to be so aggressive in the future.

Also, just be sure to keep an eye on Jinx’s behavior and physical health as you reintroduce her to the others. Sometimes hens need a little extra support post-injury, so I’d suggest continuing to monitor her and provide extra care like supplements or treats to support her during the healing process.

In the meantime, if you notice any signs of stress, like reduced appetite or abnormal behavior, it might help to keep her isolated for a little longer to ensure her full recovery.

Let us know how she’s doing! You’re clearly doing a great job caring for her. Best thoughts!

 

[RuralAmy]

It sounds like you’re doing everything right by isolating Jinx to help her heal, and giving her some space to recover. As for her egg-laying, stress can certainly affect laying, but it’s less likely to cause egg binding unless there’s a significant or prolonged physical issue. Since you're planning to keep her isolated for her safety, I think your idea of letting her roam free in the indoor run for egg-laying is a good one. That way, she can still have access to a more familiar environment while avoiding further stress from the others.

For Amber, isolating her after Jinx heals sounds like a solid plan. It’ll give Jinx some time to recuperate, and hopefully Amber will learn not to be so aggressive in the future.

Also, just be sure to keep an eye on Jinx’s behavior and physical health as you reintroduce her to the others. Sometimes hens need a little extra support post-injury, so I’d suggest continuing to monitor her and provide extra care like supplements or treats to support her during the healing process.

In the meantime, if you notice any signs of stress, like reduced appetite or abnormal behavior, it might help to keep her isolated for a little longer to ensure her full recovery.

Let us know how she’s doing! You’re clearly doing a great job caring for her. Best thoughts!

Thank you for the positive feedback. Jinx is back with the flock and doing great, we did isolate Amber as she is still bullying her. She’s in the XL dog crate in the garage with food, water, treats. My question is how long do I keep her in chicken jail? Can I bring the crate outside so she gets some fresh air?

 

[Bawkbok]

My question is how long do I keep her in chicken jail? Can I bring the crate outside so she gets some fresh air?

Happy to hear Jinx is doing well. Hopefully her wounds will heal quickly.

I would definitely put the crate outside - fresh air and sunshine is healthier than a dark garage. Ensure she has some shade as well and can be in view of the others might be helpful. I don't know how long to suggest to leave her separated. Perhaps others with more experience with bullying can chime in.

In the interim, check this out and see if it's an option for you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-apply-pinless-peepers.78669/