Poor Sunshine!  I came home today and realized that she not only had a bloody beak but she also had a bloody comb.  I was not entirely sure what happened but I found her sitting alone inside the coop on the roost.  I scooped her up for a closer examination, wrapping her in a towel to keep her still.  She had managed somehow to reinjure herself.

I gently cleansed her blood away with a moist paper towel.  The back of her comb and beak were both injured.  Truthfully, it looked a lot worse than it truly was.  She closed her eyes with trust as I cleaned her off.  I returned her to the run and then started looking around for the source of injury.

I had cleaned the coop out today, to freshen the girls up for the long weekend.  I looked inside and saw that the hanging feeder had dried droplets of blood on it.  Immediately, I realized that she had reinjured herself again on the chain.  I had removed the sharp piece that I found last time, but I soon realized that this is my chicken who loves shiny things like jewelry.  When I put the feeder back, I did not place it on the bottom link in the chain.  As she likes to eat from the top of the feeder, she must have caught her beak inside one of the extra links near the bottom!

I feel terrible.  I feel like a terrible chicken mom.  This is the second time she has been injured despite my best attempts.  I cannot help but blame myself for her injuries.  I am going to have to figure out a better way. It’s times like these that a hencam would come in very handy!