Solitary chicken - need advice

[Ophelia]

I have a pecking problem. My smallest and least confident chicken is looking worse and worse with her feathers being pulled out and often a little bit of blood. I keep spraying her with anti-pecking spray but I don’t think it is stopping the bully. I haven’t witnessed who the bully is yet but I think it is the biggest chicken and possibly the second biggest chicken as they have no signs of having been pecked themselves. The second smallest chicken has a bit of a bald red bottom so I think she is being pecked too.

 

The girls live in an eglu cube with a 3m run. I have logs, rocks, a basin full of sand and up turned flower pots in there for them. There are cuttle fish hanging up and a vegetable ball full of greens. They only get to free range at the weekend when I am at home and then they spend the whole day in the garden.

 

I have been reading about bumper bits. Is it cruel to use these? Do they work?

 

I am off on holiday for two weeks on the 28th and I would like to try and have the girls living peacefully by then.

 

Any advice will be very much appreciated.

 

Thank you

[debbier]

I've had problems when trying to introduce two new chooks to two older ones. I've been splitting them off to introduce them gradually.

 

If yours are established, though, then I guess it's a different matter.

 

I bought some bumper bits and was (am) well prepared to use them if needs be. The bullying is definitely cruel to the chickens at the receiving end of a sharp beak.

[Egluntyne]

I have just applied a bumperbit to one of my hens who was constantly pullling the feathers out of one particular girl.

 

This poor hen has been pretty featherless, especially on her wing tips and back. She was doing it to herself and so I had bought an intriguing poultry saddle with shoulder pads, very Joan Collins, and within a fortnight the change was amazing, with lovely new feathers growing.

 

Unfortunately the newly bumperbitted hen was caught red handed holding her down and yanking the new feathers, with their rich blood supply out.

 

I have found bumperbits to be useful when other methods have failed. I am a believer that the well being of the flock as a whole over-rides the 'rights' of one particular hen.

 

They tend to not be very happy about the bumperbit for half an hour or so, and then get used to it.

 

I think there is a definite place for them in flock management.

 

**Poultry Saddle a la Joan Collins**

[chickencam]

I have also found bumper bits to be very useful.

 

I don't believe that they are cruel to use, the welfare of the bullied hen or hens is just as important.

 

They do however have their limitations, if you have a hen with a clipped top beak they can't be used because she will struggle to feed. Also they can still cause damage even when fitted with a bit. I had an incident when an egg was broken and one hen got egg yolk on her feathers and the others were in the process of causing her serious damage in persuit of the egg yolk.

 

You still need to keep an injured hen isolated and spray her with purple spray otherwise things can get nasty.

 

I have harmony at the moment but would not hesitate to use the bits again if needs be.

[Ophelia]

I have just ordered bumper bits. I hope that they arrive quickly.

 

My poor little hen, I hate to think of her being bullied.

 

I might ask my friend if I can borrow their old rabbit hutch and let her sleep in there. Will she be ok on her own? At night she is usually snuggled up with the others.