The Great Chicken Adventure: January Behaviour

Of all the months Ive had chickens, January so far, has been the worst! I wish there was a set do and dont list for complex things like my situation, so the problems could magically go away. But instead, theres a long and drawn out trial and error process, infiltrated with new problems along the way. There never really is a solution - just a 'good-enough'. Let me elaborate. Minus a ba-jillion degree weather has resulted in a lot of broken water pails. After I broke the third one, I invested in a good livestock rubber pail, hopefully that will live up! If broken water pails were the only problem... All the coop inhabitants seem to be out of hand this month. About a week ago, I went out for afternoon chores and there was blood on about 4 hens backs and there was blood all around the rim of the water pail. After some sorting I traced the trail back to my poor Rob. His wattle was missing a piece and his chest had a patch of blood down it. I guess him and Fluffy were in a fight. The next day when I was out for afternoon chores, Fluffy had a piece missing from his comb and he had blood all down the back of his head. I guess Rob had to get back. If fighting was my only problem... For the last couple of weeks I havent been getting much more than 4 or 5 eggs per day. To try and up production Ive been doing a second feeding in the afternoon with about 1/2 as much feed as in the morning. When Im home for a whole day I make a point to check for eggs several times, because I knew they were eating some eggs - judging by the damaged eggs I was collecting. On average at least 1 egg was either cracked or picked every day. When I collected eggs around 1 pm on a day I was home, I got 12! So it really makes me wonder how many theyre eating?! So clearly boredom is a key problem in my coop, which prompted me to make some much "pinned" boredom busters. One thing I did was place plastic easter eggs in their nest boxes - interestingly enough they threw out the orange ones and left the yellow ones. Maybe a colour blindness? I also make some 2x4 board swings for them to play on, but unfortunately they dont go near them. Maybe they are too difficult to balance on. I also have plans and supplies (but as of yet no time) to make some seed "bricks" for them to pick away at. My most recent problem that came about today is the early signs of what I assume to be a prolapse in one of my hens. A few times Ive collected an egg with blood on the outside of it. I didnt really think much of it until today. One of the eggs was covered in blood, a lot more than before. I started looking through the hens to see if I could find who was laying that egg, and it wasnt hard to find her. The only hen on the roosts, a Rhode Island Red X hen, walking a little off balance, her back end was a trail of blood and feces. When I lifted her tail, she let out another stream of it plus it seemed that her tissue was being slightly pushed out. So completely dismayed I did some research and the closest thing I could find was prolapse of the oviduct. I couldnt find why it happens, but when it does, usually the hen will expel her vent so that it hangs out (kind of like when a cow gives birth to her calf, and then her whole uterus comes out, thats NOT a good thing). Then its a long process to an unlikely recovery, and if they recover they often prolapse again resulting in death. My research recommended in the case of an actual prolapse to apply hemorroid cream to the tissue and put it back where it came from. My hen didnt prolapse, but looks like she certainly could the way shes straining, I took some preventative measures. First I went to the store and bought a thing of Preparation H with the money scraped off the bottom of my car floor mats (oh the humiliating things you do for your chickens!). Then I wiped her backside down as best as I could. She kept trying to get away (fortunately since it was past dark I had a bit extra grace). Then, wearing gloves, I slimed her over with the goop, and now I hope for the best. When I checked on her again tonight she seemed more relaxed and not straining at all. If only she takes a couple days off from laying we might have evaded a much larger problem. And on a precautionary note, I wont be saving her egg to consume if she does lay tomorrow. On a brighter note, I think the sun is coming up.... lol...