3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[frogprincess]

I came home on Friday, having been out most of the day, to find that my Miss Pepperpot had been attacking my two Gingernut Rangers - I had a really good look at them all on Monday, so this must have started in the last few days - in fact, I'm sure I didn't see anything the day before.

 

 

The two gingernuts have suffered a lot of damage just below their wings - red, bloody, raw skin and exposed feather shafts. Whilst I was looking at one, the pepperpot pecked the other and ate the feather.

 

 

I washed the sore bits with warm water and sprayed lots of purple spray on but the pepperpot is still doing it, despite the purple covering the blood.

 

 

I give them poultry spice and they always have Omlet grit available. The only thing that's a bit unusual is that, as there's a lot of snow, they've been spending a lot of time in the run.

 

 

Tom from Omlet said we should separate the Pepperpot from the others, and we are going to try to do this with a puppy cage we bought as a potential broody coop. I have bought some anti-peck spray and hope that these measures will help.

 

 

I should mention that they have lice, for which they are being sorayed with Xeno 200, but medicine deliveries to the vets were delayed, and so I couldn't pick this up until yesterday. I've given them their first of three weekly spraying attacks with the stuff, and I hope this will clear that problem up. Possibly the two gingernuts must have pecked themselves, and that got the pepperpot going?

 

 

 

I would really appreciate advice from more experienced chicken mummies and daddies!

 

 

 

Lesley

[Egluntyne]

First off I'd separate the bully.

 

It could be that she is craving extra protein so it might be worth giving her some meal worms, tuna, unmedicated chick crumbs, breeders pellets or or scrambled egg.

 

I'd also suggest applying a bumper bit to her, once you have established for sure that the Gingernuts aren't self harming.

[Eggasperated]

I've had a very similar problem. Carol had lice (which unfortunately I didn't recognise for several weeks) and was pecking at herself, she made herself bleed and then the other two pecked at the blood. The vet treated them all with Xeno spot on and they now all have bumper bits but I did need to keep Carol separate for long enough for her wounds to heal as even with the purple spray I found the pecking continued - I did however get them to go to bed together at night as I understand this helps with keeping them familiar with each other.

I am still having feather plucking and eating problems even with the bumper bits on but they have helped a great deal, I've asked elsewhere on the forum for help with getting everything back to normal.

Sorry I know this isn't a great deal of help but I certainly think bumper bits may be useful.