LJ's Chooks Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Ok so my new chickens have gone beyond plucking, my little columbine 'cloud' is bleeding! I've used Stockholm tar and purple spray and put her back in to roost. all of them have been sprayed with a tea tree dilution and the trouble makers have been squirted several times today. I think I've done all I can, just hold on tight for the morning. I've left the cube door open so she can escape if she needs to into the extended run. She's really timid and i know will be the bottom of the pecking order. Thanks claret for all your advice earlier. I've got everything crossed for the morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbey Road Girl Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Crossing everything for you and your Cloud--may there be a silver lining for all concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koo2cat Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Good Luck! I have just had the same problem and it really isn't very nice . One of my poor chickens had a gaping bleeding hole at the bottom of her tail yesterday but I too used the Stockholm Tar and Violet Spray and it does seem to have calmed the culprit down for now. I have put mine all in together tonight and hope they are all still friends (and alive!) in the morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Good idea to leave the door open so she can get away if necessary - I always do this if there's a risk of argy-bargy. I bet you'll be out there first thing in the morning anyway, won't you! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Have you thought about trying an anti peck ring or bumpa bit on the aggressor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayflower Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Our anti pecking device arrived today, so this evening, when I came home from work, OH and I fitted the bumper bit onto Alice. She sneezed a bit, then forgot about it. It will be interesting to see how she behaves tomorrow. Of course, she can still chase the others. However, I'm hoping that the other girls will soon realize that she can no longer do harm to them. Hopefully, in a week's time, she will be rid of her nasty habits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 How are they this morning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonix Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Hey guys - just seen this thread - hope everything is ok today! x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ's Chooks Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 Sorry guys for not replying sooner. We've not had a good few days. Thanks for all your advice and support, but unfortunately Cloud - our new columbine died on wednesday. I never knew that chickens could be so brutal. I am still having to separate the two groups as they cannot be left togther without fighting. I'm really worried, and wish i had never got our new chickens. I am sure it will sort its self out but it really is distressing. Cloud I am so sorry we let you down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 So sorry you lost Cloud LJ. Don't feel that you let her down. Chickens hide symptoms really well and they may have been an underlying problem, which is why she was picked on in the first place. Big hugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ's Chooks Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 Thanks Christian. I just don't know what to do with the rest, they just keep fighting... I know i am only on day 7 but this is so much harder and right now I cant see an end to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keanie Bean Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Sorry about cloud, I do hope you get the rest sorted out. Is it possible to give them a seperate area at all? Sarah.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Will pm you LJ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallina Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I feel so sorry for you. I only saved the life of one of my hens by giving away the aggressor, and life has been so much easier since. Everyone needs to distinguish between mild feather-plucking (unattractive but relatively harmless) and cloacal cannibalism (lethal). As soon as there is blood in the vent area, take action immediately. Bumper bits stop the problem for some months, but the beak eventually grows around the bit. My Gingernut suddenly started eating my Pepperpot who had arrived with her a year earlier, so it doesn't just happen when you introduce new to old. But once it has started, it never stops. If you do a Google search for "cloacal cannibalism", the other name for vent-pecking, you will find a lot of interesting articles: see this one for example. There is some evidence that hens kept in more light are prone to it, and also hens bred to produce large numbers of eggs. None of my pure breeds has ever plucked so much as a feather -- do other people find that only the hybrid hens are the guilty parties? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ's Chooks Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 Thanks guys, the 2 groups are separated but together at night. but the new ones killed a new one. Not at the vent, but the back of the head. Sorry but I cant talk about this anymore it is just too distressing, and my kids keep asking where cloud is. I come from a farming family, but this just is too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I'm so sorry LJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ's Chooks Posted April 5, 2008 Author Share Posted April 5, 2008 Thanks Superjules, I spent two hours scrubbing the cube yesterday, which proved to be great therapy. I do still love the girls and Bumpa bits should be here today, so fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 So sorry LJ. Here's hoping for better times ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Really sorry to hear you lost one of your new girls, LJ. I know from experience that introducing new hens can be a traumatic experience. It does take a few weeks for full integration, but my older girls are now a happy threesome. I have to go through it all again in a couple of weeks when I start introducing my Silkies to the hybrids. *fingers crossed* If you can keep the worst offenders separate to the more settled ones, but so they can still see them, I think it does help the integration process. Good luck! *hugs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...