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

[kaycirk]

Hi all,

 

Sorry this might get long!

 

We have had our 4 Miss Pepperpot girls since July last year and there haven't been any problems at all until very recently. We went on holiday for 4 days and left my MIL in charge while we were gone. She told us they had been fighting which was unusual and when we got home we found one girl with a nasty wound on the back of her head. We had it glued, then stitched when it re-opened and she stayed in a separate run for a few days while she healed (which she did nicely).

 

We ordered beak bits for the 3 others and returned her to main coop with the reassurance that even if they tried it they couldn't do damage anymore. It was obviously pretty quickly that it's just one of the other chickens that has a real problem with her and the injured girl is terrified if she even looks at her We were hoping that with no physical damage possible, things would right themselves eventually but she is still being picked on a lot and isn't looking happy at all in there - who can blame her! Today I ran out after hearing a lot of commotion and found the bully girl on top of injured girl attacking her and she managed to draw a little bit of blood again but nowhere near the wound she had before. I think the bald patch she has from the stitches is not helping, with curious chickens inclined to peck it!

 

I'm now wondering if things will ever improve, as the beak bits can only be on for so long and if this continues we will only end up back at the vet with another lovely big bill! Not to mention a very unhappy chicken. I'm starting to wonder if we should rehome either the bullied girl, or the one that does the bullying. Any advice at all?

[Cat tails]

So sorry to hear you are having trouble with your chickens.

I have never fitted or used Bumba bits myself, but according to what I have read on hear, chickens could wear them for life.

 

How much room do your chickens have? Can they free range? Do you have additional perches so the victim can get away from the bully?

I would try to give them more distraction first, before thinking about rehoming any chickens.

[mullethunter]

Can you take the bully out and keep her on her own for a while? See how the victim gets on with the other three.

 

Chicken behaviour can come across as really nasty can't it

[LHawley88]

I've posted recently about a very similar situation - one girl was pinned down and being repeatedly pecked by a bigger girl.

She has just about learnt to get somewhere high - usually on the next box lid - and she will be left alone.

I've purchased some bumpa bits which i will fit this weekend to the bully, as she did draw blood on the beak near the comb.

 

It's sad to hear that they are old coop-mates and are fighting, but maybe she feels she needs to establish the pecking order again?

If she can get away somewhere safe for a while, it may resolve itself.