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

[Barkisland]

I posted this last night at the end of another thread about bullying, but haven't had any advice yet, so forgive me for posting it in a new thread, but I am very concerned and unsure what to do. I have been awake all night thinking about rehoming one of my girls because of the fighting, I just cannot bear to see it. This is not just a bit of pecking and feather pulling, it's full on, no holds barred, to the death stuff

 

Last night's post:

Oh crumbs! I kept my exbatts separated from the others for about 9 weeks, and merged them on Good Friday. All has been well until this weekend, when Gerty suddenly became the chicken from Hell! I cannot believe it, this sweet fluffy girl has suddenly started pecking lumps out of the others, and Ada in particular is suffering.

I tried to fit a bumper bit twice at the weekend, but she got it off straight away.

So I left them to 'sort it out', but today came home to find Ada bruised and blood stained, she has been cowering in the cube, and it looks like she hasn't been able to eat or drink all day. (There are 3 feed and water stations in the run, but looks like she hasn't dared come out of the cube).

I let them out to free range and Gerty was jumping on Ada's back, grabbing her by the throat etc. My poor sweet Ada. Her earlobe is swollen up like a little balloon, I think it's a blood blister. I rescued her and put her in the run alone so she could feed, and she has been gulping water down, poor thing must have been gagging for a drink.

So everyone is back in the run now, and Gerty has been put in the dog crate to cool off - I don't know what else to do? But I can't have her beating the others up like this. It seems so awful, especially after we rescued her from life in a cage, I feel so rotten.

Also, Gerty is laying, and whenever any of my others have been segregated they weren't laying, so this poses me another problem. Will she lay in the dog crate? How long should I separate her for?

Any advice will be welcome.

 

It's not just Ada she is attacking, but since Ada is the smallest - the only light breed among them, she seems to be getting the worst of it. But there were piles of feathers in the run yesterday, belonging to all of them. Molly, my Barnevelder is quite bald on her flanks.

[hennymom]

oh dear so sorry you are going through that chickens are relentless brutes when they start! one of our girls is a lovely natured little sweetheart who does nothing wrong and no harm to anyone but will not peck back and our frosty r.i.p. was a brute with her dragging her around by her throat chasing her away from all the food and water...we ended up segregating the bully for a weekadmittedly she was in a crate in the run...also we bought ukadex spray...it's foul smelling and the bully soon stopped behaving so badly she still had a go every time my sweet little girl walked past... but after a week in segregation she was a lot calmer in fact i think the pecking order changed and she gets the odd peck from the others now.. the brutalised girl is most important at the moment, make sure she gets plenty of opportunity to eat and most importantly drink...we used to take our sweet girl into the utiity room and give her some porridge and leave her to eat it... at least we knew then she had eaten and drank... hope some more answers come your way very soon!!

[Egluntyne]

Can you isolate her the bully to teach her some manners.

 

I'd put a bumperbit on her, and if you can supervise, blast her with a hosepipe each time she starts her nonsense, and make her submit to you my holding her down, with a broom if necessary. It will show her that she isn't the boss.

 

It will settle, but is very difficult to watch. Poor Ada. I'd bathe her wounds and spray her with something vile tasting.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Hi Barkisland, I'm so sorry to hear that Gerty has become a lout.

 

I had to use segregation techniques a week or two ago with Willow who had pecked the other Orpies necks and heads bare, but no blood. They are now feathering up again, so I hope it's worked! Once her initial tantrum had abated, the other girls freeranged around her & she ignored them all - then they ignored her!!

 

If the crate is big enough to put a small box/basket/ceramic dog bowl/roasting dish(!) in as a nest, but she's an ex-batt, she used to lay in a cage, so if the urge takes her, she'll lay anywhere.

 

When you first had them, you had them separate in our WIR didn't you, was it Gerty who kept escaping to be with the big girls (we rescued our batties at the same time, so I read your posts with great interest, I must go back & have a read!!)? Could you do that again just with Gerty, once she's been in the crate for as long as you deem suitable? Hopefully when she goes back in with the rest of the flock, she will have dropped down the pecking order & peace will descend again.

 

I hope everything settles for you and Ada heals quickly.

 

Sha x

[Barkisland]

Thanks Guys, Ukadex is now on my shopping list.

 

I tried bumper bit twice on Saturday, but she just raked it straight off with her foot - she's incredibly strong! And I know it was on properly because we used one on Gilda in the early days and it has only very recently dropped off. Silly beggar me, I thought it was going to be that simple... I will try again with a bumper bit in a day or two.

 

Funny thing is, at first it was Ada (who was bottom of the P.O. of my original girls) that kept escaping from the big side into the segregation area with Gerty & Flo, until I got fed up of putting her back and let her stay. Then since the 'big meet' on Good Friday they were all doing just fine together until this weekend, and suddenly Gerty has turned into a complete swine!

 

I have still got her in the dog crate, inside the WIR, and she is really narky this morning! But she is staying put for a few days at least. How long would you recommend?

 

The others are happily roaming around the run and keep popping over to the crate to see what's going on - they are funny! Ada is keeping well out of the way though, but at least she is eating & drinking fine today. The blood blister seems to have gone down a bit too, but still looks sore. She is very flighty at the best of times though, and especially nervous now, so quite difficult to inspect & treat it.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I left Willow apart for 6 days, I put her back as I was away for a couple of day times & had my Dad coming in to let them out & it was easier to have them all together.

 

I have Ukedex in reserve now in case the little minx starts plucking again, but I can't see any signs yet....... !!!

 

I'd watch their behaviour with her, I worked on the theory that if they were ignoring her, they no longer saw her as a threat & the longer they ignored her, the lower she dropped in their "esteem" so had lost her dominance. Maybe this isn't quite right, but I've been led by their reactions so far & haven't really had any problems - except the plucking!! I couldn't separate her until the batties had moved into the WIR & as I didn't have a spare house & run for her. If she had been drawing blood I would have obviously moved much quicker.

 

I hope this waffle helps you a bit, {{{hugs}}} to you, they really are like a bunch of unruly kids at times aren't they

 

Sha x

[Barkisland]

Where can I buy Ukadex please?

[quickcluck]

Try these....

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UKADEX-ANTI-PECK-SPRAY-+-GENTIAN-VIOLET-POULTRY-CHICKEN_W0QQitemZ290310528431QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://www.pandtpoultry.co.uk/index.php/fuseaction/shop.product/categoryid/18/productid/871

 

Remember that ukadex smells really bad, where long gloves and a bin bag...

[Barkisland]

Thanks very much QC

[tidygirlsuk]

You could use a pet transporter filled with hay in the dog crate for gerty to nest and roost. They are normally about £15.

[Egluntyne]

Please don't use hay! It is a significant cause of impacted crop.......and she will eat it out of boredom.

[Barkisland]

Thanks, good tip - I have a cat carrier but it's a bit too big for the crate, I will get a smaller one today. (And E don't worry, I will fill it with Aubiose )

Yesterday she had laid on the roosting bars I fixed inside the crate. This morning she has laid one egg with no shell and another with a thin shell which looks like it has cracked on landing, so I am not expecting an egg tomorrow anyway..

I let her out into the run when the others are free ranging, but it's hard to know how much she is eating/drinking. I've hung some cabbage leaves inside the crate too. Ukadex ordered.

I think I will let her free range withthe others over the weekend, whilst I can be on hand to supervise, and see how it goes - what do you think? (It is killing me seeing her so distressed in the cage). Ada has kept well away from the crate, and the others are all behaving fine with her.

[dancing cloud]

Lots of ((hugs)) from me and mine and a special cuddle for Ada

 

Just remember Gertie was the bully, not the victim (and try not to watch her too much as it'll only upset you). Tough love, Barkisland, tough love!

[Barkisland]

Aaaaaargh! I just fell soft on her this evening and let her out to free range with the others. She sidled over to Ada 'all innocence', and then jumped straight on her and had her in a full nelson before I could even blink . Hubby & I could not believe our eyes!

She is back in the run on her own now, whilst the others are out to play, and she is going back in the crate at 7pm.

[Moonie]

I had the same problem with two of my girls, unfortunately i had to separate them on/off for 6 months. I then tried lending them to my friend to drop them back in the PO for a few weeks, but they were returned early for bad behaviour!!! As soon as they came back the worse of the two started attacking one of my ex batts ( a lot of blood). I had then at that point decided to have the two of the bullies rehomed. They are now very happy living on a farm with geese, guinea fowl, chooks and cocks, the geese keep them inline. I still go and visit on a regular basis as it wasn't the easiest decision to get them rehomed. But it was the right one as both parties are alot happier.

Hopefully yours will be resolved a lot easier than my situation and your bully calms down soon. Good luck.

[Barkisland]

Oh well

Since it looks like this is going to be a longer term thing than I expectd, I have decided to move the furniture and partition off the run with the net again. Gerty is in 'solitary' at the top end, with eglu and about 20% of the run to herself, and Flo will have to move into the cube with the Wernlas girls, and the remaining 80% of the run.

I had to sort something out, as Gerty was not eating or drinking properly in the crate and starting to lose weight

We will be having chicken sitters before long and I was hoping they would all be nicely merged before then, to make things simpler, but it looks like it is not to be.

[Barkisland]

Sorry to keep banging on, but I am in bits.

Gerty has been crying this evening and it's so upsetting. I know that keeping a chicken in solitary confinement is really not on - even though she can see the others through the net. I don't know what else to do, she would kill Ada given half a chance. Poor thing has been pacing up and down along the net all day, like a caged lion - I haven't seen her eat or drink, although I am assuming she must have? She didn't go to bed in the eglu, because we have moved it so that we could net it off. I watched on the webcam, and had to go out to put her to bed after dark - she was cowering in the SW corner of the run, which is where it goes dark last.

It's Flo's first night in the cube with the big girls too, and I also had to put her to bed, she seemed to want to go in with Gerty - but the eglu is home to Flo, so it's not so surprising.

I hope they are more settled tomorrow.

[Abbey Road Girl]

How distressing for you (and them)! I finally was able to fit bumper bits on mine a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, only three of the four remained in place so the problem of pecking isn't totally resolved.

 

However, I do think that the failure may have been mine, beginner in fitting bumper bits that I am. A functioning bumper bit might be exactly what is needed. Are you certain that you fitted it properly? I'm sure that the fault was mine, so can be optimistic about trying again and getting it right.

 

On the other hand, you may just have one very mean and powerful hen!

 

Wishing you all the best!

[Gallina]

Don't forget that some hens need the larger size of bumper bit. I have one hen whose nostrils are just too far apart for the standard size. Luckily she turned out to be innocent, and the hen on which the bit fitted was evidently the one virtually eating a new hen.

 

I found Ukadex no use at all, and if anyone near Oxford wants mine (virtually unused) they can have it.