Hi! I thought I had am emergency but now I'm thinking it's ok... can someone please "check" me? Found lots of blood all around, saw chicken with blood dripping from foot, get chicken picked up and found a very bloody side but no obvious lesion or anything, put her in a warm bath and I *think* there was actually a missing wing feather -- I bet that can bleed a lot? dh seems to think he saw a "hole" there. Change of bath water and the blood seemed to slow to nothing. Toweled her off and her behaviour all along has been perky. Let her free range and she made a beeline to dust-bathe (@@) - doesn't seem the smartest ever but I just let her be. I don't see any blood anywhere. Later she went to fly to a perch and there was a *lot* of noisy flapping so I think it must be right that a feather or even maybe two could have been missing?
So some questions: (1) what causes wing feathers to go awol? I don't _think_ another chicken would or could have tugged?? It's daylight and I don't think any animals would have been lunging at her? Maybe she could have gotten one stuck somehow?? Seems weirdly unlikely? Could they just fall out??
(2) I'm not convinced she's been the healthiest of chickens for a very long while but I don't know what's going on. She hasn't laid in well over a year. She was a rescue; I don't know her age. I think she was not well tended in her youth. She has accumulated _white_ feathers. Is this a thing? Or a sign of illness? First one, then two white feathers on her tail. Then a couple on her wing tips. She and her rescue-mate were very pale for a long while but getting more color back though their combs are - well they're not bright red but I think they're ok...? She does have diarrhea though and best I can tell has for ages. She retreats to the coop early all the time, she's just not a energetic chicken. Though that bath perked her up for sure.
(3) Am I doing anything like the right thing? Basically by doing nothing I guess. The blood did stop, at least I haven't seen any more. I offered food and water but she didn't seem terribly depleted. I've tried giving calcium on the impression that this just generally helps chickens feel better sometimes. But it didn't seem to help her at all; I gave that up long ago. Any thoughts? Many thanks for considering!
So some questions: (1) what causes wing feathers to go awol? I don't _think_ another chicken would or could have tugged?? It's daylight and I don't think any animals would have been lunging at her? Maybe she could have gotten one stuck somehow?? Seems weirdly unlikely? Could they just fall out??
(2) I'm not convinced she's been the healthiest of chickens for a very long while but I don't know what's going on. She hasn't laid in well over a year. She was a rescue; I don't know her age. I think she was not well tended in her youth. She has accumulated _white_ feathers. Is this a thing? Or a sign of illness? First one, then two white feathers on her tail. Then a couple on her wing tips. She and her rescue-mate were very pale for a long while but getting more color back though their combs are - well they're not bright red but I think they're ok...? She does have diarrhea though and best I can tell has for ages. She retreats to the coop early all the time, she's just not a energetic chicken. Though that bath perked her up for sure.
(3) Am I doing anything like the right thing? Basically by doing nothing I guess. The blood did stop, at least I haven't seen any more. I offered food and water but she didn't seem terribly depleted. I've tried giving calcium on the impression that this just generally helps chickens feel better sometimes. But it didn't seem to help her at all; I gave that up long ago. Any thoughts? Many thanks for considering!
