I just put my new spring chicks, which are fully grown and laying in with the older hens. They are all pecking each other so they are bleeding and bare of feathers. Also the older hens are molting and pecking each other. Any ideas for help with this.
Of course it is normal for hens to reestablish the "pecking order" once you add new ones. The bleeding could become a big problem. I was always taught that the chickens will keep picking the red. Sometimes a red heat bulb will help make everything indoors red so they can't see the real red spots so much. Feed stores usually carry topicals for wounds for chickens that may not taste so good. This year we had to add a third roost to let our chickens have more space at night. Although we don't have more chickens this batch seemed to need to space out more so my DH added a third roost. If they aren't free range all the time maybe put some bigger objects in their pen to allow the picked on ones to get away or hide a little better so they can't get picked on all the time. It might get better after the molting is done too. I always think our birds are more touchy and grouchy while molting.
also with molting there is the need for more protein & calcium added to their diet to help with the new feather growth & to help keep them from pecking...somethings they are not really pecking per say but pecking to get the old feathers to eat them for the calcium they are lacking. & yes adding newbe's will create a new pecking order so there will be few disagreements...the bleeding is not a good sign if its more on one than another....You may need to cage the one who has the most blood inside the coop so one it can heal & two the others will get more used to it...maybe there is a reason we can't see that makes it the target....that if they don't stop could kill the baby. Yes there is a product called 'no peck'...its messy but you do need to put it on thick if possible...too thin & they don't notice it as much & just peck another area...so clean the wounds, stop the bleeding first then coat the areas with the No peck...& re-add to the group....try to watch thur out the day to see which ones are the most targets.....are all the chickens going after just one more than the others?...if so do think about the separating cage for a few days for it....Michele'
when introducing new chickens to the coop, put them in when it is completly dark, as quietly as possible, when they all wake up together, there is less of a chance of the fighting for new pecking order...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad"
Hens pecking each other
Posted - Nov 07 2011 : 6:53:00 PM
