Ms

[purplefowler]

Elvis is a feather eater. She only seems to be having a go at KO Joe for some reason and none of the sprays seem to work. She obviously dislikes the taste, but the feathers are just too good to miss and all KO's new growth seems to have disappeared over night So I have ordered so bumper bits of good ol flebay! My question is will she forget her love of feathers in time or is she destined for a life of bumpers? Poor KO Joe looks really bald all around her bum but so far now blood has been drawn. Thanks

[Redwing]

I think it can go either way, sometimes when the bumper bit falls off the hen reverts to the pecking and another bit needs to go on, sometimes they have forgotten the habit

[Saronne]

I'm in a similar situation. One of my hens developed a taste for her pal's bum fluff and made it bald, too

Got a bumper bit on her and then her victim started pulling feathers off her! Anyway, both have had bumper bits for the past four weeks and their feathers are growing back nicely. I have no plans to remove the bumper bits as I have the same concerns about them re-offending. We just refer to them as the 'Punk' hens, as they look quite butch.

 

Saronne x

[purplefowler]

Chhers, fingers crossed then for all the bald bums

[The Dogmother]

Have you made sure that you haven't got an overcrowded run, and that they have things to keep them occupied while they are in there? Over-stocking and boredom are big factors.

[purplefowler]

I have tried loads of stuff, I have just made a perch which they are totally ignoring, I have made my own peka blocks, again met with total apathy, I give them all different treats in different places (hung up, hidden in the flooring, etc). They freerange most of the day except for a few hours in the morning so they can eat their pellets. I can't think of anything else I can do I noticed Elvis has started on The Chicken With No Name today so hopefully the bits will come tomorrow, but it really is a last result as I don't really like the look of them. Any suggestions welcome

[Egluntyne]

Get a pair of straight circlip pliers from Halfords or similar. It makes fitting the bumper bits dead easy.

[The Dogmother]

I found that warming them in a cup of hot water makes them very bendy and easy to fit too. Pliers are a big help, especially when you're taking them off.