Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Sky]

My girls have all been feather pecking/eating for the last few months and I have tried most of the sprays to no avail. However, last week I resorted to purchasing the foulest smelling spray (Ukadex) and treated them once. This stuff is awful, it gets in your hair, your clothes, your skin and lingers forever but .............................. it actually seems to have worked. The pecking has stopped and new feathers are begining to grow and one week later the girls and my clothes STILL smell of the stuff. The odd feathers which come out naturally while they are dust bathing are lying on the ground and are no longer getting gobbled up.

 

I have also stopped feeding anything other than good mash (because it takes longer for them to eat and keeps them busy longer) Poultry Spice daily, fresh greens and one hard boiled egg divided between the four of them once a day. So now hopefully they are getting a correct balanced diet as opposed to too many s"Ooops, word censored!"s and treats.

 

At long last and with the nicer weather my girls are beginning to look normal again I just that it continues.

[Laura & CTB]

So glad to hear that things are getting better for you, bald chooks are not such a pretty sight

 

Ukadex is revolting stuff - I had to use it a couple of years ago but it really started to make me feel

[Seagazer]

I'm sitting here with fowl (sorry couldn't help the pun) smelling hands from spraying my baldy girl. I wouldn't mind but yesterday I dusted them with mite powder and one managed to poo on me so those clothes went straight in the wash and then today with the anti-pecking spray

 

Somethings got to work with mine. She had a couple of quills on her chest yesterday but today they've gone She's either having a moult or whatever is affecting her (checked for mites etc can't see anything) or its getting worse.

 

I'm really glad its worked for you, keep your fingers crossed for mine.

 

I've even got the bumper bits out to think about putting them on. I think its Butch doing it to herself so I might just see if I can get them on her and see how we go.

[chickyhazel]

I've never heard of a chicken pecking out it's own feathers... Are you sure she is doing it to herself?

[Sky]

Good luck with yours Ann, I have my fingers crossed. I still have them crossed for mine too - don't think I will be convinced that it has worked until we have full feathers back on everyone!! I resprayed mine yesterday just in case and even though I had old overalls on my clothes underneath still have that familiar odour of and unemptied ashtray

[Seagazer]

I've never heard of a chicken pecking out it's own feathers... Are you sure she is doing it to herself?

 

She's top chook and I've seen her doing it to herself but she also lets one of the other omlet girls do it too. I've also been treating her for depluming mite too and will give her a few days to get over the shock of the spraying before putting some more FOS on her. Don't want to overload the poor thing. She's the only one of my girls that has been broody and she does it at the drop of a hat so is very used to plucking her own feathers out. Other than that she's really healthy if a little grumpy I just worry that I'm putting all this stuff on her and its going to make it worse.

 

Sky, thankfully my hands appear to have lost the yucky smell this morning.