4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Suzie]

This morning I checked on my chickens to find blood everywhere all over the eglu. Avril had ripped her back claw. I cleaned Avril up and cleaned out the eglu and then set off for work. (It was a bit of a palaver involving a chicken in a sink and destroyed baby sweetcorn plants) Spent all day being paranoid that the others would pick on Avril and peck at her wound. I dashed home from work to find all OK with avril's wound. Except that Alice is now picking on Avril and Avril keeps having to dash past Alice to get to the food. I must have checked on them so many times this evening (worrying about foxes, injured chickens and bullying).

 

Is this normal behaviour? Should I worry about my chooks that much? My OH thinks I'm obsessed!

[Olly]

Obsessed? I'm not sure I know the meaning of the word in relation to chickens, it's natural to spend most of your time looking out of the window and checking on them isn't it?

 

Someone else posted on here recently about a torn claw - as long as it's stopped bleeding it should be ok, but the recommendation was putting cobwebs on it to stop bleeding. Hope they soon settle down, maybe they are still establishing who is top chicken.

[cathybc]

it is only natural to worry. I have left one of my bunnies outside for the first time today and will NOT be working late ! But I do think you settle down after a bit when nothing bad has happened. When I first got my cats about 9 years ago I was awful, I wouldn't go to bed unless they were all in. Now, I let them do their own thing - but still panic if I haven't at least seen them between getting in from work and going to bed......