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Last night when checking the hens I noticed one had an odd tuft of feathers on it's side. It was not limping or appeared to be in any discomfort.

When she was at the feeder I picked her up and was dismayed to fund that it was not a clump of feathers but an open wound which was making the feathers protrude.

There had been a cut on her side, above the leg, but below the wing which had begun to heal - it was like an open flap, but was not smelling too good. I am going up to the field to check on her shortly to see how she is. She appeared completely normal and if it had not been for the tuft of feathers I would never have noticed. I did not even notice until yesterday.

I have no idea how she could have got the cut - has anyone had anything similar? I am a little worried that the bad smell is not a good sign although it did look like it was healing well.

If it was on her back I would have said a rooster got her but on her side is a bit of a mystery

you may think it sounds like I'm joking, but when we kept chickens on a commercial scale we'd sometimes get some very nasty wounds - in hot weather the preen gland at the base of the tail would get inflamed, and other birds would peck at it, sometimes resulting in holes right into the body cavity
We found a simple and infallible cure - isolate the bird to stop the other birds annoying the wound, and then dust liberally with garlic powder over a day or two, until it's dry. Eventually it forms an armour-plated scab, and the bird can go back into the flock!
We used a "food grade" garlic powder bought loose in a "weigh your own" shop - it's highly antiseptic, and dries wounds out well - we never lost a bird, even those with horribly deep wounds!
The only slight downside is the pong - but the birds don't give a flying fig -and we could continue selling their eggs as being free of antibiotics and synthetic colourings!

Chucks are like machines or mini dinasours or insects aren't they, why do they peck away like that. I would hate to fall and be unconcious in a chicken coop!

Thanks for the replies! Interesting about the garlic powder Martin.

I have been up to check this morning and she does not seem the worse for it. The wound is dry and pongs less than yesterday. I think I will just keepan eye on her - the wound is covered by her feathers so the other hens are leaving it & her alone.