Part 0800.0005

[SusieQ]

I've got 2 gingernuts about 2.5 years old in an eglu. I lost my boss chicken in April 2009 but the remaining 2 settled down OK. However, at the start of the summer one (Penny) has started pecking the other (Pippa), firstly on the bottom, then the wings and now just begun on the breast. I've got her in a bumper bit, this did originally solve the problem but she is now able to pull feathers out with it on. I've got pecka-blocks, fat balls, have vaselined the victim and am now on anti-peck spray but nothing seems to be working. They are in a reasonable sized run all day (4m x 3m) and both are laying, though Pippa does lay fewer.

 

My last idea before getting rid of her completely (which would break my heart) is to introduce 2 new hens to alter the dynamic. My thinking is that if she bullies all of them, then it becomes an easier decision to make and I'd have to get a couple more to keep Pippa company when Penny goes anyway.

 

Has anybody got any experience of introducing new hens when an existing one is already a bully?

[Steve the Gas]

Yes I have and it worked, personally don't like the beak torture tho.........

[Egluntyne]

Introducing new hens will certainly alter the dynamic and might give the bullied hen some respite. However, if she beats all three up, I'd separate her and let the others do a bit of team building, and then reintroduce her when she has learned some manners, and will be bottom of the pile

[the bradley bunch]

personally don't like the beak torture tho.........

 

no me neither i personally think trying to get to the root cause of pro-longed 'unexplained' pecking is a much better course of action. if somebody put one of them things on me i'd probably be even more peeved tbh

 

i hate to say it but the most likely cause is boredom. do they ever get to FR?

the space sounds reasonable but like they say quantity isn't always quality - look at what you can do to improve the quality of their enviroment instead of looking at what you can do in terms of 'anti-pecking' or distractions. focus on the positives you can do for her rather than preventing the negatives. i really don't see how the bumper bit will eradicate the behaviour, it doesn't do anything to deal with the cause of the pecking. she'll either end up spending the rest of her life in it, or have to be re-homed - and possibly have the same problem there

 

i definately think focusing on enhancing her enviroment - by introducing a bigger flock, and by making the space as engaging as possible - is the only way to go. create a dustbath, pile up some logs, rake some autumn leaves up into a pile, give her something to climb around on, plant a couple of shrubs in the wir, hang up a chicken mirror!

 

maybe you are already doing all of these things, and so adding some new friends to the mix for both girls will improve her behaviour. it sounds like you care a great deal for your girls and have got caught up trying to do everything possible to stop the pecking, but sometimes you need to just take a step back to see what's really going on.

i hope you do manage to solve the situation and have 2 happy chickens and 1 very happy chicken mummy

[Patricia W]

I'd follow Egluntyne's advice. If she is bored, two new ones will give her something else to think about. My feather plucker has now stopped - but it's taken about 6 months and the two others were just about oven ready by the time she gave it up. Ukadex seemed to help but I also added new perches in the run as these three never free range. Something worked though.