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Nuggywoo

Natural behaviour??

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I've seen a lot of people mention bumper bits on this Forum and while I don't mean to offend or get anyone's backs up...

why use bumper bits and how do they work?? I've looked on the internet and spoken to vets and from what I can gather they're ever so slightly cruel. Why use them????

 

If a bird is pecking, bullying, beating up another and generally being nasty then surely the answer is more space which equals freedom and therefore natural behaviour? Maybe I'm wrong...

 

If the chickens were living in as natural surroundings as possible, instead of being shut up in a run (oxymoron if ever there was one), the 'peckee' can move away from the tormentor and have a painfree, stress free life! JMHO.

 

Again, certainly don't mean to upset or offend anyone but I'd love to know why?

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Let me attempt to reply as probably the most ignorant wannabe hen keeper here (I'm sure that much more knowledgeable keepers will pick up on this topic--you know who you are!).

 

The theory you cite that more space equals freedom which equals natural (non-aggessive) behaviour seems to ignore the reality that you will find in these forums. Hens can be very nasty to each other in certain circumstances.

 

Mostly they are not, but they certainly can be.

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Dear Nuggywoo

 

You do not state wether you keep chicken sor not!

 

If you do keep chickens and have not had the problem experienced by some of us then you will not understand, but I will try to explain.

 

If you had someone hitting your head with a chisel for 10 hours a day evry day and picking all the hair off your body you would get pretty fed up with it and it may even cause you to go a bit crazy. Well If you could take that chisel away to stop them you would live a better life. This is the reason for the bumber bit.

 

No it is not cruel it is a cure to a problem. For thousands of years people have kept domestic chickens and they do not all free range. Many people keep chickens in coops that are of a sutable size for the number of chickens kept 1 meter per bird but sometimes one will want to rule the roost a little to far and mesures have to be taken.

 

As with anything in socity bad behaviour can only be tolorated to and extent. People keep dogs, and a dog must know it's place in a family home. I have kept dogs and the place within the family is at the bottom of the chain. This is not cruel a dog does not run the family home, as such one chicken can not rule the roost and make life hell for the others.

 

As for natural behaviour, how many natural chickens have you seen in the UK. None is the answer they are all domesticated in one way or another some just live on farms, some live in peoples back gardens.

 

I have at the moment a problem with one of my birds and the common sences is that it is a rougue bird and not as common as i thought. Many people on the forum have smaller coops than me with more chickens per square foot who live in perfect harmony.

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The well being and safety of the flock as a whole is the most important thing.

 

An aggressive hen can't be allowed to carry on with her destructive behaviour.

 

A few skirmishes to sort out the pecking order and harmonious co-existence of the flock is one thing.

 

Evil or cannibalistic behaviour is another and should not be tolerated, and a bumper bit or some anti pecking spray is preferable to a roasting tin.

 

Unfortunately not all hens are nice, and the splendour of their accommodation or size of their run isn't going to make a hap'orth of difference as poor Trapper has found out.:(

 

Edited for typo.

Edited by Guest
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I had a batch of ex battery hens and one bird was virtually pecked to death by a bully & then the others joined in once blood was drawn, i was on holiday at the time & my friend had to let the girls out of the run to try to calm things down & then the fox got them

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