indigopurple Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 My ex batts have been with us about 2 and a half weeks and have been a joy so far. I am a little concerned with how the pecking order has worked out and I am not sure how normal it all is. There is the obvious boss and she is quite aggresive. I have seen her peck at both chickens and it gets worse when I approach the run as I think she trys to jostle them out of the way for first pickings at treats. I have only seen blood once and that was on the middle chicken. Tarot is still feathering up and her rump is still quite bare. She gets the brunt of pecks from both chickens. Since the weekend she has been spending more time in the nest box. She does come out in the run and then can be very skittish even when no one is bothering her. She does seem a little bit highly strung so will run past the other two who are just going about their business but cos she sort of bangs into them she gets a peck. Then she dispears back in the nest box. She is still eating and she is still drinking and seems well in herself. Her rump is very sore though and I keep spraying her with purple spray to reduce the red, there has been no blood though. Is this Ok? Is this just the normal way that the pecking order operates. When they are free ranging Tarot is often further away from the other two but there is no squabbling then. Am I expecting harmony which is never possible x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Are they actually pecking out her feathers? If they are then you will need to arm yourself with bumper bits and anti-peck spray. It may just be that she has lice or mites, so chekc her for those first. Spray her with some water that has a few drops of tea tre and lavender oils in it - this will soothe the sore skin. I'd dose them all up with a good quality poultry tonic in the water as this will help them to re-feather, as will extra protein in the diet - mealworms are great for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigopurple Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 She has no feathers there, just quills which are slowyl coming through. She was red raw tonight so I have sprayed her with Gentian Violet. Am at a loss with it all to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Are they actually pecking out her feathers? If they are then you will need to arm yourself with bumper bits and anti-peck spray. I can help you put on the bumper bit if you order a couple Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Lewis, if the bumpa bits are a bit stiff, then soak them in hot water first to loosen them up. Purple spray will help, or I like to use Johnson's Tea tree cream - very soothing on sore skin... i use it on my hands too! Get it from any pet store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutrix Farmers Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Hope things settle down soon. It took over 2 months for Henrietta to accept Jess when she was first introduced and even now has a sneaky little peck when she thinks I'm not looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigopurple Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 creeping on to whispier that things seem to have settled down. am hoping this continues. thank you for all your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
