Single hen

[Mark66]

We became chicken owners 4 weeks ago and it's been nothing but disaster.

 

Our chickens have suffered from violent pecking from one of our three, and one other has a tendancy to do the same.

 

One chicken ended up at the vets with a severely pecked tail and was losing blood. Today our other chicken was pecked violently and has lost blood again. So as you can imagine, this is some violent stuff!

 

We've had them chased by foxes also to just add to the 'pleasure' of keeping chooks....

 

We're not living the happy chicken dream Omlet promote. Hopefully others are having better luck or are we not the only ones!?!?!

[Angels4]

Hello and welcome to the forum from across the pond. Sorry to hear of your challanges with your girls. I have one that is quite the bully (Truvy has just taken the top chook position from Ouiser) and she is far more brutal then her sister, she however hasn't drawn blood. I've read here to put the offender in a naughty cage (cat carrier perhaps) for about a week, when she is introduced back to the flock she might be a little less likely to peck.

I've not that much experience, but I'm sure someone with more will be along in short order. Good Luck!!

[Egluntyne]

Hello and welcome.

 

Sorry to hear thinks are not going well.

 

Have you tries spraying them with anti peck spray, putting out a few food and drink stations and giving them something like a cabbage to peck at.

 

Have they got enough room in the run and are they getting the chance to free range?

 

Have you thought about trying **bumpa bits** on them to stop the pecking?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Sorry to hear you're having such a rough time . Hope Egluntine's advice helps (she knows everything so it's worth following!)

[CALNICK]

sorry to hear the trouble that you have been having, one of my girls has suffered the same situation and we were both worried when we saw a patch of blood.

 

We bathed the damaged area with salt water then applied Genetian Spray and Aloe Vera. The Genetian spray did not luck very pretty but it detered the other girls pecking her, occassionally we still get this as my girl is the smallest of the bunch.

 

If it continues we shall have to use bumper bits.

 

Hope this helps

 

Calnick

[koo2cat]

Speaking from experience this is a very common problem. We had to re-home one of our violent hens in the end.

 

I have no doubt that alot of the and hens from Omlet are like this and I personally think that Omlet should look into changing their breed of hen as this forum is littered with tales like yours and mine.

 

Like you say, not the chicken dream Omlet promised although things seem to have improved for us now the rougue hen has gone.

 

Good luck!

[Steve.]

SI have no doubt that alot of the and hens from Omlet are like this and I personally think that Omlet should look into changing their breed of hen as this forum is littered with tales like yours and mine.

 

This has crossed my mind too. The chooks we got (been bred from a poultry company since 1969) are much nicer and really friendly even as POL's.

 

I'd actually considered (for a minute) culling or giving away the original flock ...

[buffie]

Omlet's hens are just hybrids and all hybrids tend to have a bit more attitude. It does usually settle down very well

 

Buffie x

[MedusA]

I am so sorry to hear of your problems. I would suggest following Egluntine's excellent advice.

 

I cannot speak from experience, as I have never had a real pecking problem. The worst I've had was a bit of blood drawn on the head of of one of my hens when doing a confined introduction. I guess I have just been very lucky with my girls. I now have 7 and they get along fine for the most part, with only the odd pecking order reminder.

 

I can sympathise with the fox worries, however, as like many, I did lose one of my original Omlet girls to a fox last year. I can recommend vigilance as the only sure way of protecting your girls. Mine never free range unless I am there to supervise them.

 

I do hope your situation improves and you can start to enjoy being a chook owner. *hugs*

[cordelia]

Really bad luck Mark 66.....when we introduced a new bird (none from Omlet) we had to take her straight out, as the other two, we'd had a week wouldnt leave her alone (pecking , jumping on her, no matter how we tried to stop them with water sprays)

 

...so we got out the big dog cage/crate we have, and put the worst offender in there......(actaully no, we put the pecked upon chicken in there the first night and day)....inside a catr basket in the crate at night, and loose in the crate during the day....

 

...all well wrapped for the cold night...and fox proof.....there would be two sets of metal bars to get through....during the day she had the large crate to go in with feed/water extra and straw underfoot

 

the next couple of days we put the worst pecking offender in here by herself...and here she stayed for a week, until the other two bonded....in the eglu and run

 

...the original two did get to free range in this time, but were never both with the new bird together...it took a week or two(memory going)....until they accepted her, although I know some people can never get their birds to mix...

 

...so if you can...beg borrow and improvise a seperate cage/run....(.really our labradors crate was ideal, and a box or cat basket inside will suffice (i had a spare taupalin (Aldi have them in stock now only about £6 for two)...over the top to prevent them getting wet.)

 

and try seperating them.....its worth a try...

 

if all else fails..try and get the worst offender rehomed....a farmer may take it..

 

very best of luck....we've had ours for about a month now...have heard foxes at night but not seen them......someone recommended FOXWATCH to me.....look it up on google...

 

best of luck and try not to lose heart.......

[Steve.]

Omlet's hens are just hybrids and all hybrids tend to have a bit more attitude. It does usually settle down very well

 

These new ones are hybrids too.

 

Maybe I just got lucky ... and maybe the breeder gave me these ones as they were easy to for her to catch!

 

I learnt quickly that each chicken is individual though.

[buffie]

Depends on the hybrids but the gingernut and are very friendly hens and an obvious first time hen. when you introduce to the existing hens it can take time and they have to go through the pecking order.

 

I've had injuries but all live together fine now, all down to my mistakes and lack of knowledge then though . have 2 more to intro but very much taking my time

 

Buffie x

[Sandychick]

I have no doubt that alot of the and hens from Omlet are like this and I personally think that Omlet should look into changing their breed of hen

 

Mine are lovely! I think it depends on the individual characters and the combination of them together, rather than the breed itself. Maybe I've just been lucky.

[The Brown Clan]

My () and my () are lovely hens and were Bullyed so badly by my Sussex Hybrid I had to rehome her

 

was sad to do so but there wasn't an alternative for me( she was vicious and my other girls were stressed ), however since she has gone they are regrowing their feathers( wilma has the beginings of ginger knickers again) and are much calmer ,

 

follow Egluntines advice she knows what she is talking about and hopefully things will calm down.

 

 

Hens all have different personalities like people its just the luck of the draw

 

good Luck

[quentinho]

Hello,

We had 4 hens delivered with a cube two days ago by omlet. One of the was going mad at the others pecking and drawing blood. The driver was very kind and suggested he take it away but it has left us with a dilemna Do we get 2 replacements locally ,Omlet cant deliver for another month. Will they need a prolonged introduction or wont it matter because the current ones are so new to their enviroment.

How long have I got before the 3 incumbents get territorial?

How many can a cube with a 1 meter extension comfortably accomodate , they probably wont get a huge amount of free ranging if I`m realistic.

 

Luckily the 3 we do have are delightful.

 

Any advice would be gratefully recieved.

 

 

[Steve.]

We felt that 5 in a cube with the standard run was squished. We have 8 now in a cube with standard run + run extension and they seem okay.

[Gallina]

Quentinho: I regret to say my darling little babies got territorial in just one week....

 

I would be inclined to give yourself an easy time now that the nights are drawing in and the weather getting colder, and stick with just the three you have for the winter.

 

Spring is the best time to start with new hens, and you will have an uncontrollable urge to get some new ones by then.

[chickencam]

Am I right in thinking that young hens are far more likely to draw blood than slightly older ones?

[koo2cat]

I am not an expert, but if I were you I would just stick with the 3 you have unless you are desperate for more eggs. We started off with 4, rehomed 1 due to bullying and the three that are left are very happy together. Also we have the cube and 1m extension and I would say even for three chickens it is not that big if they aren't going to be free ranging much.

 

When we rehomed Hetty I was keen to get 2 more, but have decided to wait a while as the 3 are very happy as they are.

 

Someone with more experience may have another opinion but this is what we have done and it worked!

[quentinho]

Thankyou for all the replies,

I am more undecided than ever. I think I secretly hoped everyone was going to say It takes a couple of weeks to settle in and being young pullets it would be easy to integrate two more pol chucks without the agro.

Tomorrow will be decision day. (it always is ).

 

I still think there is something spooky about hens though. When I arrived at work today, the first after the girls arrived, I had messages to phone 3 people. A Mrs Bird, Mrs Peck and another unrelated Mr Bird. All genuine calls aswell, and not a wind up.

That and replies from Gallina (my son wanted to call his hen gallina)

and Chickencam, His name is Cam.

 

Coincidence.... or conspiracy ?

 

[quentinho]

Well on the basis that its better to be decisive than correct I did get two new girls today, and what an interesting day it was too.

 

Gwenneth the turned from passive put upon hen to inquisitor in chief ie pecking the new girls and chasing them around the run. (not badly though)

 

The most successful part of the introduction was the fact that I hadn`t clipped the new girls wings. I had a roosting bar high in the extension which the newbies jumped/flew up to when they were being bothered. The other 3 showed no inclination or ability to follow.

 

at bedtime the new girls just followed the others into the cube, a descrete few minutes after the others ( no doubt to allow time for the ladies to do whatever it is that takes ladies so long to do before they go to bed - yes I am from Mars )

There was not a squeek.... They all settled down and are at this moment cuddling up together.

 

PHEW !

 

Lets hope thats not to much hubris. We shall see what the morning brings

 

 

 

 

I wonder if I should leave the run now - Old achy joints and swbo will wonder where I`ve been since lunch time.