A drama at bedtime

There always seems to be some sort of drama going on in my flock. Last night I went to check on the girls just before bedtime.

At first all seemed normal with all the girls on the perches in the usual positions and all happily preening and dozing.

Then I looked down and was horrified to see splashes of blood on the patio. There was a lot of blood. Big splashes (the size of a pound coin) with smaller dots around them. Blood on the patio, on the coop roof, on the two nest box coops, streaks on the top of the cabinet and streaks on the perch.

I haven’t seen so much blood from the girls, this was more than the spots of blood from a pecked comb. I was horrified and yet mystified how there could be so much blood and yet the girls all looked perfectly normal.

I did a quick inspection of the girls looking at combs, vents and legs and feet. Sparkle had some blood on her toe but was standing in the blood on the perch and no obvious injury.

I fetched a bowl of soapy water and a cloth. I lifted each girl down again checking comb, vent, legs and feet. Nothing obvious. They all went out into the garden part of the run and scratched around while I cleaned the perch, top of the coup, little coups, top of the cabinet and scrubbed the blood splatters from the patio.

That done the girls all returned to their usual positions on the perch. I again checked each one of them. The only tiny bit of blood I could see was on Sparkles toe. I picked her up and had a close inspection. There was a tiny trace of blood on one toe and one claw but I couldn’t see any injury and when she was on the ground she was showing no sign of limping or discomfort.

I can only think that Sparkle has cut her toe on a sharp bit of flint in the run and the cut is so fine and clean that it bled for a while but now doesn’t show. I can’t see any other explanation. When poop picking I remove any sharp bits of flint but the run is large and the girls are always turning up more with their digging.

I just couldn’t believe there was so much blood and yet I couldn’t see any injury. Today Sparkle has been fine and doesn’t show any discomfort at all.

With hindsight I am quite glad I didn’t go in while the bleeding was taking place or I would have been horrified. It must have healed very quickly. Everything seems absolutely fine today. This was all very odd but I am so glad that all the girls seem to be fine. What will they throw at me next!