Millie-Annie Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 with my last batch of ex-batts. I am having two of them rehomed tomorrow. I got them in Oct, they are my fourth lot so I am pretty experienced with ex-batts. I know they can be feisty, but these are feather peckers. I have never had this problem before. They didn't come straight from the battery they were rehomed by Wood Green and I picked them up after 4 weeks. Not sure if this is where they leant to feather peck. They eat each others tails and one still hasn't regrown her feathers as the others just pull them out. I have an Orpington who is completely bald around her back end, she looks like one of those monkeys with a red bald bottom. As fast as her new feathers start to come through they pull them out again and make her sore and occasionally bleed. Today I stood and watched the two main culprits, just pulling clumps of the soft downy feathers from my three pure breeds and running off with them. My Welsummer finally pinned one of them down and pecked her, but it made no difference. The one ex batt that has no feathers is bleeding today and they just wont leave her alone. They also peck me, relentlessly. They jump up and peck my legs when I am cleaning them or feeding them. So I have decided to rehome them and have found an animal sanctuary that will take them tomorrow. I have been completely honest about the pecking of feathers and people. They would probably be fine as a twosome or in a much bigger flock but my three pure breeds are terrified of them and my Brahma is 8 years old and doesn't deserve this. I will keep Doris the featherless one and have decided to keep Dolly as well, as I think that might be manageable but sadly Phyllis and Dylis have to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Aww, that's a shame, but it seems you have done all you could possibly do to sort them out. I had to re-home a particularly nasty one once and although a hard decision it was the best for her and my others. I'm sure the ones you re-home tomorrow will be happy in their new home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Well done for trying and for finding them a good home. You've definitely done the right thing. Hopefully you and all your girls will be happier now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie-Annie Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 A friend of a friend has just rung me and offered to come and pick them up tomorrow. They will be integrated into a much larger flock which is what they need. They can't feather peck every chicken at once, that would be beyond even their capabilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie-Annie Posted February 14, 2016 Author Share Posted February 14, 2016 Just to update you 24 hours on and chicken keeping is fun again. I can't believe how it has changed the dynamics of the flock The five of them are all together, instead of my three pure breeds hiding up the corner. I have opened the gate and they are happy to peck around the extended run, instead of P&D trying a thousand ways to escape and Dolly and Doris following. Dolly is calmer, she isn't feather pecking at all, which was my concern about whether to keep her, so I am glad I did. I can go in without being pecked to bits. They used to grab my hands and they could draw blood. I do hope P&D are happy, but for us it was a best thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millie-Annie Posted February 14, 2016 Author Share Posted February 14, 2016 This is the state of Octavia, my Orpington's back end, where they constantly pulled her feathers out. They were obsessed with the soft downy feathers and I think I could have had a real problem with cannibalism when she moulted. The other is Doris, my ex-batt who is still featherless as they constantly pulled them out and made her bleed, hence the purple wound spray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 It's amazing how quickly calm restores itself You will enjoy your chickens a lot more now and can rest easy knowing that the others are in a good place. Wishing you happier chicken keeping and that their feathers grow back soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
