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

[mimi5]

Hi all Been trying to deal with this myself.........just wishing it would settle down

 

Actually, feel like I've been through the mill lately Willow was very poorly (pancreatitis) & Florence at about the same time and then after 2 weeks as a" kitchen" chicken had to be PTS She was top girl and so I knew there was trouble to come. So, it's Polly (beloved Monty and Molly baby) I actually, at last managed to intro her and her sis Tilly in oct, after lots of drama earlier last year!!!!!(bout of myco and lost a new cockerel ) She always was a bit of a bully to Tilly, but this is awful She has left Tilly with virtually no tail!!!!! The others are terrified of her and I have seen her pluck out feathers and eat them in front of me!!!! Polly is the only one with a decent tail!!!!!!!

 

I thought it might be to do with moulting ...so up the protein, lots of extras in the run.Tried anti-peck spray. I try and let them free range when I can......... daylight, work and weather permitting!!!!! I wormed them last week, so a week in "lock down" which has made it worse Tilly has small patches of red sore baldness near her vent now. But even with all this they are both laying well

 

Was thinking bumpa bits....rang omlet and they don't have any small enough So Quin suggested separating her for 7-10 days then re- introducing her??? Will this just start off different issues??? Sorry to ramble......bit fed up

 

Please any advice/suggestions

[Janet G]

I'd go with the advice you've been given. We haven't had feather eating but we have had extreme bullying. Separating the bully into a house & run, if you have one has been the best option. It's worked more than once for us. It puts the bully off their stride & will give the bullied one a chance to recover. But try not to feel sorry for the bully & give in too soon, it's very easy to do that.

Janet

[paulad]

We have had feather plucking and eating problem - big time !

 

We use Bumpa Bits and its all been sorted out now - are there definately none out there small enough ??

[mimi5]

Thanks all for the replies

 

I guess I have no choice but to separate and hope that it works ( will have to post pone selling the classic) I feel like it's a step backwards With myco in the girls I try really hard to keep stress to a minimum.

 

I did think that bumpa bits would be the way to go, but apparently 25mm is the smallest I can find and as I said Omlet don't know of any smaller

 

Will keep you posted.

[gavclojak]

With myco in the girls I try really hard to keep stress to a minimum.

 

To be honest I think you need to worry about your stress levels.... I don't see what you could do differently....it's so very hard when this happens...anyone who knows my posts knows I has a hideous problem last year...we couldn't get the bumpa bits on and I wimped out....I separated the bullies and had my bullied girl in with the two remaining good girls , I was worried about developing two splinter groups...but the good girls ended up turning on her....making her bleed profusely.....in the end she was alone in a sectioned off part of the run and she was desperate to get back with the bullies, all they wanted to do was attack her through the dividing fence!!

 

I tried everything but in the end a lovely lady from omlet took her and introduced her to her lower ranking hen.

 

I wish I had given her more time, I feel like I let her down

 

I really wish you luck.....yours I am sure will be resolved but I am thinking of you...X

[Ain't Nobody Here]

One of my girls had all her neck feathers pecked out and it looked very red and sore. I put purple spray on regularly but didn't know what else to do.

 

It's all fine now though, as after a moult all her feathers have grown back in and the others don't seem interested now!

 

Fingers crossed for a moult for you!

[mimi5]

Well, tonight Molly and Penny hadn't eaten much So action stations!! I have got the classic ready and Evil Polly will be taking up residence from tomorrow am!!!!!

 

Please let the weather be dry as the classic is on the grass (unlike the cube run which has wood chip)

 

Fingers crossed for a moult for you!

I'm afraid they have all had their moult and Polly was last.....she looks lovely

[Luvachicken]

I had a little think about when we separated mine and remembered that about 2 weeks after separating them something happened.

When I left for work that day they were still in their separate areas, but when I got back after lunch I realised I could see a couple of little heads in one end of the run where they shouldn't be. The dividing door had become open and the girls were all mixed back up. I thought I'd leave them to it, as like you, had read that separating the bullies might help, but then I saw the nasty behaviour return. I very quickly put everyone where they were meant to be.

Separation was the only way for my girls and I don't think reintroducing them would have ever worked.

[Valkyrie]

Have you sprayed the anti peck stuff? Smells so bad she won't get close to sniff let alone peck!

[mimi5]

So I did the whole solitary confinement for 10 days and then let a very grumpy Polly out with the girls who have been getting on really well without her!!!! She was soon bossing and I let them free range all day ....but I could see feathers on the ground and she seemed to have it in for Martha (sweet gentle bantam orp x pekin) Tilly's tail feathers are just starting to grow back too!!

 

I'd spoken to Quin at Omlet on fri and my backup plan was to get another boy if this failed. So I found a lovely millefluer boy and .....his sister was to go with him too!! He is very like my Monty and she is just like Monty's sister Mandy (who I also lost ) They are 5 months old, I've named them Max and Verity So, I went for it and collected them today, as I have most of next week off and I thought I could monitor how intros where going.

 

It was getting dark when we arrived back so, I popped them in the classic run and let them eat and get their bearings. They weren't going in so I scooped them up and popped them into the classic. Polly was asleep.......not for long as I sorted grubs and drinkers all hell broke loose and she was trying to Kill Max!!! On his back and really giving him what for. So I pulled her off him and the poor chap was then attacking his sister!!

 

What do I do

 

Obliviously, I've separated them for now. Not ideal as I'll have 3 coops on the go All I can think is let Max grow a bit more as she is bigger than him and try again???? Or will Polly have to always be alone??? One more thought....if she went broody would letting her hatch re-set her behaviour????

 

Sorry for the rant but I was really happy to have this new boy and girlie and hubby even suggested it Now I just feel frustrated

[Luvachicken]

Oh mimi, I was so pleased to read that you had some new chooks.

What a shame things didn't work out today.

I don't know what advice to give you next - sorry.

I hope things improve for you though over the next few days - do you have half term ? I do

[gavclojak]

Wow 3 waring fractions....what a nightmare, the only thing I can suggest is the obvious, keep them

Separate but within sight, free range time together..,blah blah blah

[Redwing]

Personally I would leave them to it, they will sort it out. I wouldnt intervene unless blood gets drawn and even then unless its a bad injury I would just purple spray it

 

I honestly think its possible to tip-toe around a situation too much, this is how chickens sort things out, they know what they are doing after all

 

The male is on the back foot as he isnt mature enough to kick the females in to touch but he will mature and he will learn

 

hatching will complicate matters as there will be males and they only add to a separate coop/dominance/behavioural problem situation

[mimi5]

Redwing, thanks for that I'm not around tomorrow but will be most of the rest of the week so will try some time together again in daylight. He is smaller than her....and she has become a very mean girl

 

Do you think if I let her hatch (assuming she goes broody!) that might work??? She just acts like a mean, bad cockerel. She's even stopped laying recently

 

I will keep you posted.

[bigmommasally]

Hi Mimi5

 

Bumperbits worked brilliantly for us when some of my girls were pecking Alice's bum. The bumpers have all fallen off now and Alice has remained fully feathered, so I think they definitely broke the habit.

 

I live in Essex too, not sure where abouts you are, but happy to loan you my pliers and give you a 25mm bumper bit to try.

 

Sally

[mimi5]

I live in Essex too, not sure where abouts you are, but happy to loan you my pliers and give you a 25mm bumper bit to try.

 

Thanks for the kind offer Sally I was going down this route originally, but when I called omlet to order the bumpa bits Quin said 25mm is the smallest they do and would be too big for my pekin bantams

 

I live in Saffron Walden Are you anywhere near me???

[Mrs_B]

Mimi - I really feel for you, I wish I could help!! If it's not one thing it's another!

 

Separating is very good if you can do it. I've been trying but this weather has stopped my plans for now...I personally think chickens get used to the sprays, maybe it's just me but I seem to be spraying constantly with not much of a result and I've tried every brand over the last 18 months! The bullying got worse for me when they moulted a good few months ago. Now Big Sister had no feathers on her neck, Atlanta nothing on her bum, Lady is wearing a coat and the same for Pebble. The only non bully out of the 3 is Lady.

 

Bumpa Bits are great but are invasive...I hope you can find something to fit? I'm putting three back on certain hens of mine this spring...

 

Good luck! I really hope this blows over for you soon.

 

x

 

With myco in the girls I try really hard to keep stress to a minimum.

 

To be honest I think you need to worry about your stress levels.... I don't see what you could do differently....it's so very hard when this happens...anyone who knows my posts knows I has a hideous problem last year...we couldn't get the bumpa bits on and I wimped out....I separated the bullies and had my bullied girl in with the two remaining good girls , I was worried about developing two splinter groups...but the good girls ended up turning on her....making her bleed profusely.....in the end she was alone in a sectioned off part of the run and she was desperate to get back with the bullies, all they wanted to do was attack her through the dividing fence!!

 

I tried everything but in the end a lovely lady from omlet took her and introduced her to her lower ranking hen.

 

I wish I had given her more time, I feel like I let her down

 

I really wish you luck.....yours I am sure will be resolved but I am thinking of you...X

 

So sorry to hear about your problems - this sounds so familiar, so I really sympathise. Bullying is a habit and sadly other hens learn the habit and it's a vicious cycle. Completely with you on bumpa bits - I put them on all my chickens but it's put me off doing it again, although I know I need to.