4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Jules.]

I have fitted them to Buzz & Poppy today, I couldn't stand the sight of my new girls cowering & getting feathers torn out of them any longer

It was easy to put one on Buzz, feisty Poppy was a different matter. Hubby ended up with a very scratched arm & poo on his t shirt

i had to put the bits on as the girls will be confined to the run for at least two days next week , & I didn't want a blood bath.

Things are much calmer now, B & P have got used to the bits.

The ends of the bits are really muddy where the girls have been rummaging in the soil

[Lewis]

We tried them last year.

Should the 2 end bits that go on the beak go near the hole, which i think were the nostrils?

Matilda got hers off with her feet

[Jules.]

That's where we have put these bits.

They have stayed on so far, & the hens are acting "normally' ( if that is possible for my hens!)

Gertrude & Rosa don't seem quite so timid now

[Laura & CTB]

They are a bit of a trauma to get fitted but if they're on correctly the hen shouldn't be able to remove it.

 

Glad peace has been restored

[E4eggs]

Two of mind have had them on for about a month now. Marvellous things. Made a complete difference to my two ex-batts and thereby to mine and everyone's lives.

 

Peace is restored and everything well in the world.

 

They tried at first to remove them with feet and s"Ooops, word censored!"ing on the ground as they do, but they were thwarted!!

[Jules.]

They are a bit of a trauma to get fitted

Tell that to hubby!

i think I had the easy job of fitting the bit, he had to hold the chicken for me and will have the scars to prove it!

[Laura & CTB]

Yes Jules - I always make CTB do the holding part too!!!!

 

He's got wise now and always uses a towel to wrap up chicken first

[Jules.]

now why didn't we think of that?

[Laura & CTB]

he obviously hasnt been scratched quite enough yet!!!

[Gallina]

The two end bits have to go inside the nostrils, not just near them. The hen won't get it off then.

 

I find bumper bits very easy to fit as long as you are firm. If the hen has been doing serious damage to the other hens, it is quite easy to mean business and take no nonsense from her.

[Jules.]

Gallina I was amazed at myself at getting sooooo close to a hen's beak & just not being bothered about it.

I have come a long way in a year

[bronze]

If I can fit a bumper bit on my own then it should be easy as pie for two people.

[Jules.]

Wow Bron I'm impressed!

[Lewis]

The two end bits have to go inside the nostrils, not just near them. The hen won't get it off then.

 

Does it not affect their breathing?

[Jules.]

Not that I've noticed.

[Gallina]

The hen doesn't even notice she is wearing a bumper bit after the first few minutes. She breathes as normal, just like humans who wear a nose-ring. (It is possible they breathe a little more than before through their mouth, but I haven't noticed it.)

 

When you have a severe flesh-pecking problem, the only long-term choices are beak clipping or bumper bits, and the latter seem kinder. (Anti-pecking rings are for young or small birds.)

 

I can't imagine that purple spray is a long-term solution. -- don't they just move on to a hen that doesn't taste bad? Or did I have a particularly evil pair of hens? I have one out of eight wearing a bumper bit now -- the hen that was nearly pecked to death by the Gingernut I gave away carried on the tradition (in a more half-hearted way) and is fitted with a bit herself.

 

No pure-breed I have ever had has this bad habit, but it might be a coincidence.

[Jules.]

I likened it in my own mind to having a nose bar through a human's nose too Gallina! Except that there is no actual piercing involved. The beak is so hard I am sure my hens didn't notice the bit after a few minutes- I remeber the photo you showed of your hen on your shoulder one hour after she had had her bit fitted & she looked fine, which gave me great comfort when I fitted our hens with theirs.