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

[ChickenTracey]

I have a Miss Pepperpot and a Ginger nut Ranger in an Eglu. Everything has been great till this week. I found some blood on the side of the nest box which looked splattered on. Had a qiuck check over of the chickens and all seemed fine. Nothing then until this morning. Again i have found blood splattered at the side of the nest box but also on the roosting bars by the coop door. On inspection i found a small cut on my Gingernut Rangers claw...the ankle part.

 

Now i suspect the Pepperpot has done this by pecking and i know when i lock the Eglu at night 1 of them is in the nest box and the other is right at the back. Could they be fighting over the nest box? I have had no other pecking issues with the girls.

 

Should i stop them sleeping on the nest box by putting something in there so they cant lie on it?

 

I have had a good look at the cut and it is drying nicely and shows no signs of infection...but of course will keep an eye on it.

 

Any ideas? Do you think i have hit the nail on the head so to speak?

[ChickenTracey]

Has anyone had this problem?

[The Dogmother]

Can't say that I have ever seen this happening, but why don't you try putting a football or an upturned flowerpot in the nest box to stop them sleeping in it.

[ChickenTracey]

I shall do that. If this is the starts of my Pepperpot pecking my gingernut then ill have to get 1 of those clips for her beak i suppose.

[Saff]

We had exactly the same problem with our chickens - finding blood spattered on the inside of eglu etc. We have had pecking problems and they particularly like to peck each other's combs on occasion. They then shake their head and spray the blood around. I think it can look more dramatic than it actually is.

 

We've sorted the pecking problem by making sure they had lots of greens to eat and other things to peck at, and making sure that they are let out as soon as it is light (so they're not cooped up together). We also got them a pecker block to help with any pecking tendancies they may have.

 

I'm not an expert but i don't think you need to resort to a beak clip.

 

We have an eglu cube and put a board between the nesting box and the main eglu house bit to stop them sleeping in there.

 

Hope you get it sorted.

 

Saffron

[The Dogmother]

If you have a cube, then the smallest size of TubTrug fits nicely in that round hole between the roosting bars and nest area.

[Saff]

That's good to know