Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[helenc]

Yesterday I found my poor Freckle with lots of feathers missing from her back and blood all over it - the others were chasing her like mad. So I took her out (with great difficulty as I have never managed to pick up her before) and cleaned her up put some teatree oil on and left her in a box in the garage then went and bought some purple spray to cover the blood too.

 

I let her back in with the others about 6pm (she had been out for 8 hours) straight away Sweetie (!) started chasing her and trying to peck her so I gave her a good squirt form the hosepipe but that didn't deter her at all so I gave her another squirt and she scarpered into the Eglu so I shut her in to see what the others would be like and they were absolutely fine and left Freckle alone.

 

Sweetie has been pecking Freckle and Velvet on and off since we got them and we bought some anti-peck spray at the end of the first week as she had pecked till there were tiny specks of blood on Freckle. The Merrydale people also gave us the anti-peck rings just in case. Anyway I put one on Sweetie yesterday much to her disgust, because I couldn't have her doing it again as it was so upsetting for us.

 

What I would like to know is do I keep one on her forever or do I try her without one once she starts to lay (she is by far the most immature) and put one back on if needed.

 

Thank you

 

Helen

[Christian]

I would leave it on until it eventually will wear down and fall off.

 

As long as she can eat and drink, she will be fine

[helenc]

Thank you Christian

 

She is eating and drinking and preening herself so she seems fine to me, I am just really worried about it happening again.

[Christian]

I haven't used anti peck rings, but did fit a bumper bit once. It was such a faff and I didn't take it off her. It fell off after a couple of months and no further pecking

[helenc]

Thank you

 

I thought I should leave it on until it fell off but wasn't sure, I was surprised how easily I got it on her actually. My husband held her wrapped up in a towel and she didn't bother too much when I put it on, but she wasn't too happy once she realised what it meant to her.

 

I'm hoping she just calms down as she matures.

[Jules.]

My older girls have had bumper bits on since May, & they have both fallen off this weekend- I don't even think that the hens have noticed the bits have come off, & we have no more pecking now.

They are worth their weight in gold.

[LJ's Chooks]

we fitted bumper bits in april and they fell of a couple of weeks ago. They started pecking again so we have replaced them all but left one without anything... she's the chook at the bottom of the pecking order, so safe and she seems to be dealing better with things now she has no bumper bit but everyone else has.... I think we'll just keep replacing them every 2 months to stop them pecking at all.