Chicken boarders

[jjjj]

07.05.05

Miss Pepperpot is plucking the feathers out of Gingernut Ranger and eating them. Both chickens came from Omlet and we have had them since 26th March.

 

We have not had any problems before and all seemed well when we arrived home about 25 mins ago, and earlier in the day (we were out for about 2hrs). I gave them there usual treat of bird seed when we got back.

 

Miss Pepperpot is laying Gingernut Ranger has not started laying yet.

 

We are very concerned for both chickens.

 

12.05.08

This seemed to have sorted it's self out (see my reply further down the page) but last night Pepperpot started on Gingernut again. This time she drew blood from the base of Gingernuts back, just above the tail feathers. We separated them and kept Gingernut in a box in the house overnight. Checked her back this morning and the small wound is scabbed and dry, but she has an area of bruising and is bald at the base of her spine where Pepperpot has pulled her feathers. We have made a pen on the lawn and put Gingernut in it (with food water and a nest box - a large planter on it's side, and shade), Pepperpot is in the eglo run.

 

MY QUESTIONS.

1. Now pepperpot has 'tasted blood', will she continue to attack gingernut.

2. How long do we keep them apart.

3. Has anyone else had problems with 1 Pepperpot and 1 Gingernut - both from Omlet

4. Are 2 birds of the same breed less likely to have these problems.

5. Gingernut layed her 1st egg on Saturday, would this have anything to do with the problem.

Edited May 12, 2008 by Guest

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Hello, you know i was very flummoxed about this, i saw a couple of mine dashing after a feather that was on the ground & eating it I thought i was mistaken until i saw it happen again . . seems insane to eat a feather .

But not sure if my chickens understand sanity . .sorry to hear they're plucking feathers out of each other . Do they have lots of foraging etc to keep them occupied . .maybe, could it be possible they were a little bored or restless or something with the warmer weather, ours have been under the hedges all day foraging then drinking lots of water then back beneath the hedges, tee hee drinking out of an old plant pot i hasten to add NOT their glug!!

 

Ms Tily6chooksalaying6lovelyeggs3scrambledontoastand3forourneighbour

[jjjj]

Thanks for reply Ms Tilytinkle.

 

It's only Pepperpot thats plucking feathers - out of Gingernut.

 

They are on slabs and Auboise - since Sunday. Before they were on grass for 3 days and before that were on mud - very wet mud - and bark chippings.

 

They have a cd mirror and must admit forgot to hang thier usual cabbage up for them.

 

They seem to have eaten well today, BUT the water level in the glug does not appear to have gone down as much as I would have expected, seeing it's been quite warm today.

 

 

They are now separated. Pepperpot still in run, Gingernut in netting on the Grass. Gingernut let me pick her up without bother - very unusual. Ichecked her over and she seem OK if a little quiet. She now scratching around on the grass.

[Egluntyne]

They say it can be a sign of protein shortage in the chicken.

 

Why not give them an alternative source, such as rinsed dolphin friendly tuna, scrambled egg or organic cat food and see if it makes a difference.

 

You could spray the gingernut with some Ukadex spray...smalls vile but has a good reputation...that might do the trick.

 

Failing that you might want to try a bumpa bit on the naughty girl. Give the **Wernlas Collection** a ring and they will send you one for the price of a stamp or two and an SAE.

 

 

Good luck.

[debbie26pet]

reading with interest ive got a maran, got her 2 weeks ago an dkeeps doing this to my silki, but only does it whilst out free ranging,

[Ms Tilytinkle]

these chooks do like to break every rule of thumb, i thought free ranging would prevent any plucking temptation!! Obviously not . .strange creatures arent they!

Fascinating but strange!!

 

Ms Tilyschookslovegreenbeansandboiledrice

[jjjj]

Shhh I'll say this quietly.

 

All seems peaceful.

 

Put a seed tray with potting compost mixed with pelets and seed, a small slatted shelf resting on a rock. Gingernut was having none of this with her out of the run. She flew out of the 3 ft high temporary enclosure and demanded to be let back into the run.

 

Miss Pepperpot tried pulling feathers out of Gingernut again, but Gingernut reclaimed her feather and ate it herself!

 

Put some rinsed tuna in the run and Miss Pepperpot was interested and ate it and Gingernut just stole it from Pepperpot and scarpered (all within the confines of the Eglo run) she was not eating it just winding Pepperpot up.

 

They are now scratching around the floor of the run.

 

I'll just keep my fingers crossed........

[jjjj]

More problems see original post above

[Laura & CTB]

I think you may have to resort to a bumper bit for a while!

[Egluntyne]

What about some Ukadex Spray...

 

The vilest smell (and taste!) in the universe...but it has good effect.

[Christian]

Rotten luck to be having feather pecking problems!

 

have you tried mixing tea tree oil and water and spraying the peckee? It will help heal her and hopefully put off by the taste?

 

If you have time to sit and watch them for a while, a water pistol aimed at every time she goes to peck, might put her off.

 

As Egluntine says, ukadex spray has been used by many with good results.

 

I resorted to a bumper bit in the end and the problem was solved overnight!

 

To answer your questions -

 

once they taste blood it can make them peck more, but if you catch it quickly (as you have) it should stop.

 

Keeping them apart for too long will increase the risk of more pecking to re establish the pecking order. However if has an open wound, then continue to keep them apart.

 

2 different breeds should get along fine.

 

As the wasn't laying, she is probably younger than the . This would explain the dominant behaviour of the . Now she is laying, hopefully things will settle down.

 

Hope harmony is restored soon.

 

Best wishes

[jjjj]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Just been out to get some anti peck spray. The only one we could find, and not very locally either, (and the local major road is jammed up with an accident so the local roads are jammed as well!), is Shaws Nibble Deterrent.

 

Can I use the deterrent on the chick with a wound?

 

Hope this works as well as the Ukadex.

 

Am just going to make a phone call and get a bumper.

 

We have set the temp run in full sight of the perm run thinking that it may help keep the chicks in contact with each other. Will keep them apart tonight then reasses tomorrow. How long do you suggest we wait before letting them together again.

 

The poultry netting comes tomorrow, am hoping giving them a bit more freedom will help.

[urbanchick]

I had a similar problem and tried all sorts without success. As soon as I fitted the bumper bit on my bottom pecking Pepperpot the problem disappeared. I wish I'd done it to start with. It's often an instant solution and I can't recommend them highly enough.

[muzzie]

lovely pictures urbanchick I was looking to see the bumper bits have you removed them, are they easy to place on the chickens.

I think I will have to get some my chickens are feather plucking terribly they look like battery hens I have tried the only anti-peck spray we have here not very effective.

jjjj I also have omlet hens all gingernuts arrived 25th March

[urbanchick]

lovely pictures urbanchick I was looking to see the bumper bits have you removed them, are they easy to place on the chickens.

Thanks Muzzie. They are not easy to fit, but once you know how..... My tip would be to put the bumpa bit in boiling water to make them more pliable and to make sure you put the prongs far enough back in their nostrils. Get someone to hold the chicken in a towel when you do it. Good luck. It's certainly alot cheaper than other anti-peck treatments!

[Trapper]

JJJJ

 

I've had a similar problem. Keep the chickens seperate untill the bullied chickens wounds have heald, could be a week or two otherwise the others will go for her and make it worse.

 

See my posting about Ukadex and where to get it from you will receive it in 2 days. It works!!!

 

Hope all is better but don't rely on crossing fingers, chickens in my experience haven't heard of that one.

[Bev]

Hi

I got my cube and chickens 2 x gingernut rangers and 2 x miss pepperpots on 17th March. All was well and exciting. When I'd had them for a month, I was at work one day and I received a telephone call from my husband to say that Betty (pepperpot) was pulling out Chloe's feathers (also a pepperpot). As I was at work I said Omlet do an anti-pecking spray, ring them and order some. He did this and when I got home that evening I sprayed all the birds. The next day he rang with the same concerns as Betty had continued her pecking and feather pulling and said that Betty was also eating the feathers. He went out for two hours and when he returned Chloe was dead. She had a very large wound on her underside where we believe Betty had drawn blood and then apparently when the chickens see blood they just carry on pecking. I think that when Chloe had died, all the rest of the chickens decided to carry on pecking and she was quite a mess. It was very traumatic cleaning the house and run which resembled a massacre and my husband wanted rid of the chickens. We both found this very distressing and I wrote on this forum for the first time. It was suggested I obtain some Bumper Bits and some were sent to me by a very kind fellow Omlet Forum member. These were used and have worked wonders. I have had no more problems. I have now ordered some ot these from a site called Wernlas.com. When I looked at the picture of these they looked horrendous but once I had seen them in the "flesh" they were small and light. Betty is lovely and so friendly I am so glad these were recommended to me. I hope this helps you.

[chickencam]

We have 2 of our 4 girls fitted with bumper bits also from Wernlas, we would have our White Star fitted with one too but she had been beak clipped when we got her last August and it hasn't yet grown back enough for her eat anything but pellets and even then not well. She pulls the feathers out of the others despite nearly being eaten alive herself a month ago. The bits have done the trick with the others though and Dippy can't cause too much actual damage with her beak we hope.

[jjjj]

The bumperbits from Wernlas arrived today.

 

Tomorrow morning we are going the fit one to our bully. We will pretent we are full of confidence, as if we had fitted hundreds of bumper bits before, - well thats the theory tonight..........

 

We will keep the girls apart again tomorrow as we will not be around for much of the day, and to make sure we have fitted it right and it remains in place, then let them both into the garden, under strick supervision, in the afternoon when we get home.

 

Hope all will be peaceful.

[cammy73]

My girls were all from Omlett, 1 pepperpot and 2 gingers. 1 ginger pecked the other two both have bald patches on their backs and she did draw blood an the other ginger. I fitted bumpa bits on all 3 so no one else could start pecking and as far as i'm aware its all stopped i'm just waiting for the feathers to grow back now...but the bumpa bits are staying on... until the feathers are back....as for putting them on...as long as there are 2 of you its not too bad...Good luck

sharon x

[jjjj]

Thanks for those words of encouragement Sharon.

 

We fitted the bumper to our bully this morning, it was so much easier than I expected. We took her out of the Eglo via the egg hatch, instead of letting her into the run as we normally do. We wraped Penny in a large towel as UrbanChick suggested, and she was completely submissive - Penny that is not UrbanChick - , quite different from the attitude we have seen before. Again as UrbanChick suggested, I put the bit into boiling water for a few moments before fitting. Penny closed her eyes and let me get on with the fitting. We then put her back in the run via the normal door this time. She scratched her nose a bit and shook her head, then got on with morning task of eating, drinking and scratching around the run.

 

As soon as we were home this afternoon we let Penny out into the garden to have a good look round - we had kept her in the run for the last 10 days and only let Henny out - then we let Henny out from her temporary home. We sat ourselves on the garden bench to supervise this joint outing.

 

The girls happily toured the garden together for about 1 1/2 hours then returned under their own steam to the run. We decided to close the door and see what happened.

 

All is peace and harmony. There are two head down in the bedding in the run and two rear ends pointing upward.

 

I would have no hesitation in fitting the bumper bit to either of our chooks in the future.

 

We did check Henny's back and she has healed and there are some stubs showing which I imagine are new feathers regrowing.

 

A big thank you to you all for your input during our trauma, I hope this will be my last update, and the peace and harmony will remain.

 

jjjj