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

[MissPug+Chooks]

...of one of my poor girls looking bald!

 

One of my girls is STILL bald on her underside where she is being pecked by the others - she isn't attacked all of the time as I never see it, but today I saw one really go for a new quill!

 

Please can someone offer me some advice on this, the anti peck spray has had no effect what so ever and we have no other way of separating the chicken that is being pecked!

 

Bumpa bit on both of the others? I am hoping that once she has the opportunity to re-grow that they'll leave her alone as she is constantly re-growing, the only problem in that where she is bald on her breast bone, they are not growing back because of the friction of the perching bars/nest box etc!

 

ANY advice at all? I'm so worried about her although she is still laying/eating/socialising!

 

Help

[Mum]

Despite all, she is still laying? WOW!!!

 

First thing: never segregate the "bullied" - achieves nowt If seperation is do-able, then you seperate the ones doing the bullying so that you break them of their prominant/dominant position Or, you need to put some sort of device (the name escapes me right now; peepers?) on the bullies if seperation is not a consideration.

 

Hen pecking looks so violent and heartbreaking to us (as modern humans). I have a hen, who is the lowest of the pecking order; today, I brought home some new hens. Now, they are seperate from my main flock (they are in quarentine!); however, my resident girls have taken umbridge at the new noises! To "express" this, they have re-newed their "assertiveness" against my low-pecking-order chook All this despite the fact the new girls are completely segregated from my resident bunch!

 

Bottom line is: this is NORMAL chook behaviour Those who do not experience this are the "exception" to the rule

 

Never "give up", but, do persevere; all it means is, this is your learning curve with chooks It is not the chooks learning curve of *you*!

[MissPug+Chooks]

Yep! She's a trooper despite being one legged too bless her!

 

She's brilliant!

 

Ok, I will try and figure out which one is bullying and segregate her - seems no one has a spare run for me which is a pain so need to fork out to buy one -.-

 

Do I need to put both of the bullies together in a run? If so....I could leave them in the eglu run and let hoppy hoppy chicken free-range?

 

[sandyhas3chucks]

well if you only have 3 and 2 are bullying one then separating the bullies wont work...

Is one worse bully than the other? if so separate her.

Have you got them just in an eglu run?

What have you got in the run for Hoppy to get behind away etc from the other 2 and what distractions are there in there for them?

off to find my pics for ideas for you.

here we go

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=69665

[MissPug+Chooks]

They free range for the majority of the time, but the branches etc to look good - but not much use to the one legged chicken bless her!

 

I just got some bumpa bits in the post today...scary!

[sandyhas3chucks]

no but the others might get up on there and leave her alone.. But free ranging is good.. the other run has the trellis which had an unexpected benefit they can of course all get through but it immediately seemed to make a mental barrier. I had not tried this in the Eglu run though am sure it could be worked horizontally some how... and course the dustbath gave my girl a break if only whilst the others were enjoying it.