Will hoey

[catriona]

Can anyone advise how to keep chickens from pecking each other?

Our two hens have been living happily in their Eglu Go for about 8 months now - they free range when we're at home so get a good portion of time on the grass and flowerbeds. One of the hens, Donna, has recently started to be a little aggressive. We noticed a small bald patch on our other hen CJ's neck a couple of weeks ago - wondered if she was moulting or doing it herself. We have kept them in the run on bark this past week to let our grass recover a little and today have noticed CJ's bald spots have gotten bigger and there is another one lower down her chest - and then we saw the Donna peck at this area several times. We let the CJ out of the run for the rest of the day.

 

Does anyone have any solutions to this?

I have read about separating aggressive hens for a few days before reintroducing them, which is fine when we're around as we can let one out and keep one in - the problem is that we don't have anywhere suitable to keep the second chicken throughout the day (while we are both at work - we've had previous fox problems). We can build another temporary run - but at night would probably have to keep them in the same coop.

 

Any advise on how to separate,- or how to stop this becoming a habit - would be much appreciated! Or about doing anything about the patches to help them heal, if this is necessary, or whether they will just fill in if left alone.

Thanks, Catriona

[Luvachicken]

You could try spraying with Ukadex spray or try fitting a bumper bit.

I am having the same problem with one of mine, but am hoping to get away with just the Ukadex. Mind you , it does stink.

[Bantambabe]

I've just had this with my newish pepperpots. Poor Rose, who's bottom of the order, has a bald bottom, breast and scabby thighs.

I got some bumpa bits from omlet (there's a thread about them in the poultry health bit I think) and fitted them to the other 3 girls. Once Rose's feathers have returned I'll remove them from all but the main culprit if I can.

Instant fix - although it took a while to catch the darn hens!

[catriona]

Thanks for your replies. Probably will order both the spray & bits and give both a go. Just to confuse things, we've now noticed the hen is pulling out her own feathers - as well as being pecked at by the other!

 

Anyone know why she'd be doing this? We separated them yesterday overnight and are trying to keep them apart today. But this morning, after being alone overnight, she was missing lots more feathers from her legs and stomach - some completely bald patches getting larger. Is it possible she's just moulting, and both of them are picking at the odd feather? There are some little spots of blood where it looks like a couple of larger feathers have been pulled out so we are a little worried!

 

Thanks again

[Fur 'n' Feathers]

We'd be interested in any further thoughtson this too. We've had a persistent feather pulling bully. We've tried sprays separating in the sin bin & returning after a few weeks, bumper bit and more spray. We hav e ahuge run and plenty of distrations. She only does it to the newest hens and we've now had to put her back in the sin bin alone as she has found a means to pull feathers with the bit on!!

 

Yesterday we put some dried peas in and shortly after we saw her on one of the hens backs stabbinmg downwards. This was the final straw that led to separating her again. She'd managed to trim the new growth on Kota's back bald patch.

 

Any ideas?? We've really run out of them.

 

We would add that both this hen and the other of the pair she came as are the first we've had with this bullying habit. In addition, a friend who bought at the same time from the same supplier has had a similar problem with one of hers. We decided to go to another supplier for the newest and they are the ones being bullied 6 months on!! They are lovely & docile, which doesn't help but Kokkino is just plain spiteful to themon occasion. The worst thing is it's not all the time. She doesn't do it if she sees us watching her or holding a water sprayer!!

[WitchHazel]

Catriona, sorry to hear about this.

 

When you have only 2 hens, separating them for a period of time probably won't make much difference tbh. The idea of separating the bully is to let the pecking order be re-established with another hen becoming top hen... with only 2 hens, there isn't really much chance that this will happen.

 

Ukadex and/or a bumper bit are a good interim solution but they are only fixing the symptoms.

 

It may be boredom that is causing the problem? Is it possible for you to extend your run at all? Or to put some things in to occupy the girls? Maybe hang up a cople of pecka blocks, or hang up some vegetables for them to peck at. (Hanging them up makes them more of a challenge for the girls to eat).

 

Alternatively, could you provide some shelter in a corner of the run so that the pecked hen has somewhere to hide?

 

I would guess that the pecked girl is likely to be pecking herself because the stubble or regrowth is a bit scratchy.

 

Hope you get it sorted.

Hazel

[catriona]

Hazel, thanks for your suggestions! That's a good point about her pecking herself because of the regrowth, as I have noticed some little new feathers oming in in the bald patches so that would make sense.

 

We thought boredom may have made it worse last week as we had to keep them in for a few days in a row, but as my partner often works from home, they do get out most days to free range, and our garden is a good size with lots of different plants, flowerbeds & grass. And I think the patches had started appearing before they were shut in.

 

We did try hanging some vegetables up for them the other day so will keep doing that and maybe get some of the blocks. Yesterday we built a temporary run against one side of the Eglu, which is about the same size, and have put one in each today until the sprays & bits we ordered from Omlet are due to arrive later!

 

If the problem persists perhaps we will look at extending the run permanently, so there is less chance of boredom when they are locked in when we're out for the whole day. Poor scabby baldy chicken, I'm so worried about her!

 

Thanks everyone for your help. Fur 'n' Feathers - hope your naughty one starts behaving too!

[KimmyCustard]

Two of my five are still bald around the tail and botty area and I've had mine for a year! I have just smeared on a dose of Stockholm Tar to each pecked hen, its very sticky and stinks but it sticks to the bald skin and feathers. Hopefully, this will stop Bubbles from pecking out their feathers, we will see!

 

My auntie has hens and she suggested smearing soap on their nether regions, she says they hate the taste of soap so I will try that if the Tar doesnt help. You use a bar of soap type as opposed to liquid soap, no lather, just warm the bar in your hands then get smearing!

 

Feather pecking can also be a lack of protein, so giving the hens some cheap tuna twice a week can help. Hang some lettuce (in a net) up high above their heads so they have to jump for it can also entertain them for a couple of hours.

 

Good luck!

[catriona]

Hi everyone,

 

It's a few weeks later now & thought I'd post an update after trying some of your ideas -

 

We have not seen the baldy hen being pecked by her friend for quite some time now, however she is pecking herself A LOT. She has a totally bald belly & front of neck. Also, the back of her head/neck is bald which she can't have pecked out by herself!

 

So is this likely to be moulting? We've tried the sprays, giving treats, letting the free range as much as possible, adding protein to diet...if it is moulting I will feel a little more relaxed and leave her to it! She seems pretty content otherwise!

 

I'm also worried about how little and thin she looks, although I can't tell if this is just because she's bald. I am probably overreacting.

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions

[TooLilac]

Hi catriona,

Same thing happening to one of my girls. Originally I thought it might be lice so called the vet for some Ivermectin, which has an egg withdrawal period - so we missed out on our eggs for 10 day s!!

Then FD's bum got more bare & sore, so I thought one of the other was doign it. Dowsed her in anti-peck spray & purple spray. Ordered bumper bits for all three of the others as I didn't know who the culprit was. Her bum got worse, so we isolated her for her own safety (!) and the I spent a day in teh garden watching them while digging the veg beds. I couldn't believe it when I saw FD pecking out her own feathers ! HOrror! They've got plenty of space, lots of treats & cabbages hanging up, I've been giving her extra protein to help her feathers re-grown. Someone on here suggested that sometimes they do this when the weather turns hot or when they are getting ready to be broody. Sorry - no solution to suggest. We are just going to waiting this funny spell out, and will fit the bumper bit to FD if needed.

She's rather oven-ready at the moment !

[Angie]

I have been battling loss of feathers for most of this year. Following a full moult in October , so i know they aren't moulting.

I have treated for lice, then mites , changing bedding , scrubbing the cube and going out to check for red mite night after night but nothing, and still the feathers were coming out. They were pulling them out when i watched them for ages, obviously irritated.

After a big search on other sites and forums , and a chat with the vet who suggested depluming mite , i checked on the forum and all week i have been using flowers of sulphur and nivea.....and slowly i have noticed new feathers and no new bald patches . There irritated skin is calming down and they seem much happier.

Mixing a tablespoon of cream to a tablespoon of sulphur and mixing it well. I have applied it to the affected area and surrounding feather stems everyday for a week and now every few days till i taper it off, seems to be working.The vet suggested keeping it up for three weeks.

[catriona]

Thanks so much - will definitely give the flowers of sulpher a go!

[Bantambabe]

I think I was perhaps a little hasty in thinking there had been an instant fix with the bumpa bits.

 

They seem to still be able to pull feathers, even with the bits on, although they can't actually break the skin.

 

My main culprit "Amy" had managed to get the bumpa bit off after about 4 weeks and was just awful. I haven't got the space or the facilities to separate them for more than a day or so, and the other hens which don't feather pull were starting to join in when she managed to draw blood.

 

Rose, bottom of the order, is now bald apart from her back and wings

 

So sadly, after several warnings, Amy has had to go. A friend who is partial to free meat (any pheasant/rabbit/hare etc roadkill) came around today and she was dispatched, quickly and with the minimum of fuss. I do feel a bit guilty, but I've been watching the other 3 FR in the rain this afternoon and there has been zero pecking or bullying - just 3 happy hens out together. And I have to remind myself that she had a pretty good life up until 11.30 this morning.

[jasperaliceuk]

Sorry to hear that - the whole feather plucking business has been back on my mind since yesterday.

 

Rose has been in isolation for 3 weeks - she has had a couple of sessions free ranging with no incidents and then back to solitary. Yesterday I put them all in the Omlet netting run so we could keep an eye on them while having lunch in the conservatory and the plucking began. I can only think it was too boring for her just being on the grass - they do like to be in the borders.

 

Then this morning in the Cube WIR I see Ace the Skyline have a real good go at Polly Bluebelle who is ignoring the fact that she is losing feathers by the second. Yesterday I had sprayed them with Nettex anti-peck - a lot of good that did. So I rushed out and sprayed Polly with the purple stuff as she was looking a bit red and put a pecking block in. Ace kept going to Polly and then turning her nose up so that worked.

 

Anyway, I am coming to the conclusion it is boredom and lack of things to scratch in the WIR which is a crucial reason. Presumably the run is fairly depleted now of bugs and things so the only things they get to scratch up are corn and mealworms etc which I throw in in the afternoon. I do not see it as aggression - aggression is what I see when the two top chooks decide they are not letting the others get at food first and that is always a swift peck to the head but not with any great threat. If free ranging all day I reckon the problem wouldn't occur but that is not possible with foxes around. I thought the chickens were living in the lap of luxury with the Cube run plus 3m x 2m WIR...but they want more.

 

So I am on a mission to provide even more enrichment, beside the swing, the perches, the CDS, the hanging bell, hanging fruit and veg......etc. I've been Googling it all day and one article came up with hanging 4 to 8 lengths of white polypropylene rope for them to peck at. It seems pecking at something is the all important activity rather than being displaced to pecking their comrades' feathers.

 

Two questions I need to ask -

 

Is there any reason layers pellets can't be scatterfed? Surely that would keep them occupied. I don't want them fattened up on treats and the mornings seem to be a good featherpecking time!

 

Are fruit and veg seen as treats? - it seems if I put them in in the morning too that would be a distraction.

 

Sue

[catriona]

Sue, we've tried increasing veg & fruit in the run for a distraction lately & it does seem to help, we haven't seen them pecking each other since. Plus, watching them destroy a carrot or half a cabbage is so entertaining!!

We've started putting on the flowers of sulphur & Nivea now (which she hates getting out on her) so hopefully that will help! If only she'd stop trying to clean it all off herself when we turn our backs... *sigh*

[Egluntyne]

Re the idea of scatter feeding pellets, it is generally advised against as they will be eating from the litter on which they constantly defaecate. Not very appetising ... and if they have worms, which thy may have if they free range, they will reinfect themselves constantly. Also, they get soggy.