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Help please - newbie chooks pecking

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We picked up our 4 new girls from Wernlas today and when we got them home 5 hours later, one of them had blood on her.

 

Over the next couple of hours I noticed that the Welsummer is pecking the others constantly on their backs and by their vents, hence the blood on the Light Sussex.

 

I've been squirting her with water but she's not really bothered and the others are pretty traumatised, keeping clear of her as much as possible but running away squawking each time she gets one of them, which is a lot.

 

She's even pecking whilst sitting down supposedly resting.

 

Can anyone with this sort of previous experience tell me how long to leave this or what to do next please? They're 15 weeks old, so really quite small but I'm terribly worried as to how bad this might get, especially as she's already drawn blood. I already don't like her very much, the others are so sweet and I don't want them to get ideas!

 

Thanks for any assistance in advance

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Hi, only a very new chicken person myself, and I'm sure someone will be along soon with good advice, but just wanted to say that I found it really upsetting when I got my three and two of them bullied the third, really quite horribly. Friends with chicks told me it would settle down in a couple of weeks (which it did) and I should let them sort it out, but I was so upset by it that the only one I could actually give a name was the bullied one! I might say, that several months in, she's the boldest of the three and they're all absolutely fine.

 

But sending hugs to you because I remember how upsetting it was. :(

 

Edited to say Egluntine beat me to it! With much better advice :)

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Sue, Congratulations on your new girls :clap: ......what a shame one of them is a minx :( If you separate her from the others for a few days, whilst the others are recovering (spray their sore bits with purple spray), she will come back, in theory, lower in the pecking order and the others will "gang up" on her to a degree so they have the upper hand.

 

Egluntine, would the bumper bit stop her being able to peck, I can understand how they stop plucking but not pecking, maybe I'm being daft though...... :think:

 

Sha x

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Thanks so much for your support. I'm really upset and feel guilty (though I know that's silly) because we had three girls on order, then I rang Shaun and asked if they would have any Welsummers (because I think they're so beautiful!) and originally he said it was unlikely, but when we went along they did, and I was so pleased!

 

However it's her that's causing the aggravation, and the others seem puzzled by it all! The water is useless - she's not bothered and invariably another runs in the way in their panic and gets a dousing!

 

JS1, thanks so much, I know I need to calm down about this but like you said, I'm finding it really distressing! My first pair were so calm together, never once pecked or fought and this is all rather horrible by comparison!

 

Trying not to let her spoil it for us all though, and out comes the dog crate! *sigh*

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Hi

 

I can totally understand how upsetting this is! We had a similar situation when introducing some ex bats to out existing flock.

 

The only advice I can offer (based on my experience) is to get hold of some Ukadex spray and spray it on the victim. It has the most incredibly disgusting smell - there really is no way to describe it. (Prepare yourself for chemical warfare when using it - gloves/glasses/mask/headscarf/OVERALLS) and I'm not exaggerating! :shock: I had been warned but even though I'd covered up with an old coat and gloves, I could not get the smell "out of my nose" for the rest of that day and I felt really sick!

 

It can be expensive and a bit tricky to get hold of, but one can will last you your entire chicken keeping life! (Two very small squirts sorted out our girls very rapidly)

 

Good luck!

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Thanks for your responses.

 

I know lots of people have had success with the anti peck sprays but personally I hate the idea of ukadex - what about the poor chook preening herself? :vom:

 

I've put her in the dog crate - she was very distressed initially. She's settled a bit over time, and it upset the balance with the other three who began chasing one another and bullying - oh the stress levels! :lol:

 

I called Wernlas and Sue is sending bumper bits for me to fit. I've managed to section off the nesting box from the rest of the cube - none of them are laying so it's not a problem for her to be in there overnight. She can see her friends but not get at them.

 

Thanks again for all your advice, will let you know how it goes! :roll:

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Sorry to sound harsh but it's better for her to get a bit of a bad taste in the mouth than be bullied and pecked!

 

One of my new chickens (Balti) had to be put down after merciless bullying from the other birds - despite introducing them gradually over 6 weeks and following all the advice on the forum. I felt it was better to put her down humanely than let her suffer. It was awful but I know in my heart I made the right decision.

 

I fear that separating her will only exacerbate the problem - on reintroductions the others may also "join in" the pecking behaviour. I don't envy your situation - merging flocks is not for the faint hearted and I will think carefully before I do it again!

 

I only had to use the Ukadex once (I followed it up with one extra tiny squirt) but it was worth it. I just wish I'd had it before Balti sustained injuries which proved fatal. :(

 

I do wish you all the luck - it's not an easy situation to deal with! Remember that Ukadex is specifically designed for animal use! :wink:

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AussieChick, what an awful experience for you to go through, how rotten for you, that must have been really tough.

 

Well, if I have to resort to Ukadex, I will, I guess I'd rather that than end up having continuing problems.

 

They have been living together in a shed because they're all the same age, but the 5 hour journey in the box might have been the trigger - she did seem pretty distressed.

 

The separating is really in order to protect everyone whilst we get the Bumper Bit sent on to us. It is definitely changing the dynamic though because one of the other three is now being a bit more forceful, but I'm not seeing blood or feather pulling, so am not too worried at this point.

 

Sue at Wernlas has years of experience of this sort of thing and was pretty confident that we'd sort it out this way, so I'm game to see how we go.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience with us on here, it's always useful to know just how serious it can get.

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I haven't got my chickens yet, but have been trying to prepare. At the weekend I spent another small fortune on "essentials" and the man at the store also tried to sell me some spray. Like you, I wasn't keen on the idea of my hens smelling foul (fowl?) as they have to sleep together in a confined space! Then he mentioned a kind of sticky substance that you can apply to the area being pecked that hens don't like because it is sticky. I don't remember what it was called, but maybe someone else here has tried it and can give an opinion?

I was going to wait to see whether I had any problems so I didn't buy anything. I am hoping I will get girls who love one another unconditionally, but since my cats (brother and sister) hate each other and fight all the time I don't think I'm destined to be that lucky. So maybe I should prepare for that eventuality or do I wait and see?

J-J

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As I can't separate Willow at the moment due to lack of spare housing, DH & I went out & gave the girls a dose of Ukadex last night........we spray some of the awful stuff into a jam jar and apply it with a paintbrush rather than spray directly onto the chooks as they are being plucked up their necks and over their heads. The little minx does it over night & rarely if ever draws blood (if she does it's from snapped quills rather than from the skin so they don't take any notice), but none of them seem disturbed by it all, she seems to be top chook & they follow her......bizarre behaviour!!

 

If this doesn't work, we'll apply to bumper bit I bought at the New Forest Show last week as a last resort :anxious:

 

DD was unimpressed with their eau do cologne this morning!!!!

 

J-J was it stockholm tar? Never used it but seen it in the shop.

 

AussieChick - what a nightmare, I'm glad the others sorted themselves out, & RIP little Balti :(

 

Sha x

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