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[LJ's Chooks]

so we are now gettting fed up... the chooks are plucking again... they still have bumper bits on, and they were brought together in april....

 

am i just facing this as an ongoing problem and just need to face up to the fact that they just do not get on. what do i do.... any suggestions?

 

this is getting really tough, but i love them so much. No-one seems to be doing it when i'm watching, they are too smart by far!!!!

 

[Helen&Lee]

I've never seen mine feather pluck either.

 

I noticed Florence had a bald bum again this morning and realised I've not given them any poultry supplements for a while - and I had two thin shells yesterday so I'm wondering if they are plucking for the mineral difficency.

 

Especially as I don't see loads of feathers around either

 

I imagine you already tried the entertainment path? Mine have whole cabbages, pecka blocks, dustbath, perches and I sprinkle corn for them to forage for so I'm running out of ideas too.

 

My real last resort will have to be the Ukadex spray others on here have talked about - but I'm not sure I can cope with the reported smell

[koo2cat]

Poor you! I know exactly how you feel. We have had constant problems with our hens pecking and plucking each other right from the day we got them from Omlet, and had I known this would happen I sadly probably would never have got them in the first place! We finally fitted a bumper bit to the naughty hen yesterday and it seems to be working (fingers well and truly crossed!). We tried Ukadex and it would work for a while but once the smell wore off they would start again and the smell for us was awful!

 

I won't ever buy a hybrid chicken again as it does seem to affect them more than the pure breeds.

 

I hope you manage to solve the problem but you are definately not alone as it seems to be a very common problem on this forum.

[Olly]

I smugly thought I didn't have a problem, but I was horrified when the girls were dustbathing at the weekend to realise that one of them is almost bald underneath ... she's been cunningly plucked so that her 'knickers' are still intact and it isn't visible when she's upright!

 

Ukadex is on order, because the only one of my friends who would be able to help with this is on holiday, and I don't feel up to fitting a bumper bit on my own. I'm a bit scared of Ukadex but I'm due to go away for a week and I can't leave them like this. It is horrible to see - and they have had loads of free-ranging time lately, so I don't quite understand why.

 

I've never seen mine plucking either, glad it's not just me being u"Ooops, word censored!"servant. They obviously choose their moment when we're not watching.

[beach chick]

Olly, could your girl be doing it herself? broody maybe? or moulting? dont know, just sounds odd that the others would pluck her from underneath...

[Olly]

well thanks beachchick, I did wonder that - I have two with missing feathers, one is missing them from the breast, and the other from the underneath. I thought the first one might be plucking herself as it was on the breastbone.

 

They are my two original Omlet girls - I adopted the other two, merged the flocks in March when I got the Cube, and thought everything was harmonious. These two (Hilda and Siggy) are the bottom chickens in the pecking order.

 

Either way, I reckon Ukadex will sort it out! I'm just not looking forward to applying it.

[beach chick]

very true Olly - on the principal of that stuff to stop you (one) biting your nails!!! hope it works, have you got a gas mask?

[WitchHazel]

Sorry to hear about your girls pecking.

 

What sort of set up do you have? Reason for asking is that I'm wondering if the behaviour could come from boredom/overcrowding? Although the Cube itself can easily accommodate 10 hens for roosting etc, the standard Run is suitable for much fewer hens, 4 maybe (?) , unless they are all out free ranging most of the day.

 

Apologoes if you've already been through this in an earlier post.

[koo2cat]

Make sure you wear a few layers of old clothes, thick gloves and tie your hair back if long as it is vile stuff. It worked for us but only as a temporary measure and the chickens look awful with the stuff on.

 

The hen and run plus cube/eglu will smell horrible for a while afterwards too!

[MedusA]

Olly, could your girl be doing it herself? broody maybe? or moulting? dont know, just sounds odd that the others would pluck her from underneath...

 

My Scully has a bald belly too. She's been moulting for a while, so I just assumed it was that. Hopefully she'll get some lovely shiny new feathers before the autumn.

[Egg Lou]

Olly, could your girl be doing it herself? broody maybe? or moulting? dont know, just sounds odd that the others would pluck her from underneath...

 

My Beanz is totally bald on her under carriage as plucked them out to nest when first became broody!

[Olly]

bah humbug - tonight poor old Siggy's bottom is definitely much less fluffy than before. I spent a happy half-hour while the girls free-ranged, waiting for the evil Yolko to peck at her, and then spraying her with a water-pistol!

 

Ukadex should arrive at work tomorrow I hope. I only have an hour tomorrow evening between getting home and having to leave for choir. I think it's going to be a quick rush into the gardening clothes, gloves etc - spray the chooks - and then have a shower. We're singing at an old people's home ... I don't want to find the rest of the choir gradually moving away from me! Can it really smell that bad?

[Gallina]

If you have a hen who is impossible and makes the life of you and the others miserable, don't be afraid of giving her away.

 

I had one who was stripping all the others to the extent I felt like smacking her. A bumper bit worked for some months, then her beak grew and it all started again.

 

I gave her to a farm where a cockerel would keep her in order, as I found her unmanageable in a small space.

 

I now have eight hens who all get on, and there are no bumper bits and no pecking. It is wonderful.

 

People who have not experienced pecking and blood won't understand giving away a hen, but those who have will (I hope).

[Olly]

ok, the Ukadex has just arrived, in a jiffy bag inside a plastic envelope. I opened the plastic envelope ... and I can smell it already.

 

Interestingly, I handed it to a colleague and said 'smell that' - he has a farming background. He immediately said 'eugh - that's Renardine (sp)'. He said it's used to keep foxes away from baby lambs etc.

 

So - hopefully this will not only stop the pecking, but keep the pesky predators off, too! I don't think the cat is going to be impressed.

 

I'm not looking forward to this ...

[Mrs Kettle]

I also wondered whether she was just moulting, if there are no visible signs of trouble. One of mine (one of the original Omlet hens) is moulting at the moment, and she's definitely not being pecked by the others as she's Joint Top Chicken.

[Ange1]

Good Luck Olly! (need a 'finger's crossed emoticon)

[cammy73]

I have one chicken that pecks out feathers...I've tried bumper bits and sprays that are supposed to taste nasty, not done ukadex and reading about it I don't think I will. The other 2 girls have bald patches on their backs but they still lay and are happy....so I just keep an eye on them.

Sharon x

[Olly]

Well I only had 50 mins, so I donned gardening clothes and rubber gloves, let the chickens out and then pounced on my first victim. It doesn't smell so bad at first - it's the way it lingers in the back of your throat afterwards!

 

I hope I did them enough, it's hard to know where to spray it. I did get a tiny bit on my arm but I'm hoping it's gone. I sprayed myself liberally with Coco (Chanel) before going out, I've been choking on it all night but it's better than Ukadex!

 

I hope this does the trick. It's definitely not a moult - they are being pecked. Hopefully no more

[Egluntyne]

Interestingly, I handed it to a colleague and said 'smell that' - he has a farming background. He immediately said 'eugh - that's Renardine (sp)'. He said it's used to keep foxes away from baby lambs etc.

.

Might be useful as a fox deterrent too! Renardine is no longer available.

 

One of my girls is wearing no knickers at the moment. I've assumed that it is just a moult as there are no really red dots which would make me think that the feathers have been pulled out. I've never noticed any plucking activities.

[LJ's Chooks]

I think i may have discovered the culprit, she was in with a cockerall before she came to me... unfortunately she is one of my pure bread blue egg chooks.

 

I love her dearly but she is a bit of a brute.... I may have to rehome if it continues as i can't spray all of them with ukadex all over surely????? they would stink and not convinced she would bat an eyelid!!! She's a lavender Araucana, and a bit snooty!!!

 

Maybe i should just exclude her from the rest of the group... or would that just cause more issues when i brought them back together... or left her in the cube run whilst the others were out free ranging???? all suggestions welcome!