What could’ve hurt my pullet?

[franciemayhem]

Hey everyone, I have six backyard chickens; one silkie pullet and one silkie cockerel (3 months) and four buff Orpington pullets (6 months). Last week, we noticed that one of our pullets, Henny Penny, had blood at the back of her comb and on her surrounding head feathers. My silkie cockerel can be a tiny menace, but because of their size differences, we rarely let the silkies and the buffs out at the same time without supervision, and they’re kept in different runs—so we ruled him out as a cause (unless he managed to hurt her in the brief interludes that their supervisor goes to the bathroom or gets something from inside. I will say, though, he gets very upset and will run to a pullet if he hears her in distress). Their run/coop doesn’t have any sharp edges or sharp wire. Her and the other three buffs have been together since they hatched, and they’re thick as thieves. They still sleep all pressed together even though their coop has room, so no one seems afraid of each other. I’m not sure what could’ve hurt her, but we noticed today it was bleeding again, and she had blood on her talon, so I’m guessing that she scratched at it. Any theories would be appreciated as to what caused the initial wound!! (Pictures below, include blood)

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

It's likely she caught it on something or it was a pecking injury. Chickens can be vicious if they see blood, so I wouldn't be surprised if they went after her a little bit. They also somehow manage to hurt themselves on anything and everything, even on things that you think they can't possibly.

Combs bleed A LOT, as I'm sure you're noticing! Her injury probably isn't as serious as it looks, but you'll want to clean up as much blood as possible before it dries, as the others might peck at it if they see it on her feathers.