How long will this bullying behavior last?

HiddenChicken said:

IMHO, the reason the hen would sit all day is because they put the googly eyes on. The peepers are a specific size and shape, I am assuming so the hen will still be able to see enough peripherally to walk around and eat. The googly eyes increased the "lens" size by almost double, probably blocking too much of her vision. (You can see the size of the peepers as a shadow thru the googly eyes when the sun hits them.)
My hens, OTOH, are absolutely fine with the peepers. They can still do everything they used to do, and can forage for bugs, dust bathe, etc...no problem.
I think the hen in the video would've been fine had they not futzed with the peepers. Now, having said that, way smaller googly eyes would be ok & really cute! lol...

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karlamaria said:

I was thinking the same thing, those eyes they put on it made the peepers useless as the bird could not see.

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WalkingOnSunshine said:

Oh man, I just watched that video, and you're all right. They blinded the poor girl. No wonder she was just sitting around.

BTW, I use a "snap ring pliers" to apply my peepers, and I've gotten so good at it I can hold a chicken under one arm and apply peepers with the other--and my hens aren't tame. Easy peasy.

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karlamaria said:

I was thinking the same thing, those eyes they put on it made the peepers useless as the bird could not see.

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HiddenChicken said:

Glad you two saw the same thing. Poor hen...all blinded. She took care of that really quick tho--sat down and didn't move until they were removed! lol...

ETA WalkingOnSunshine...I *wish* I had gotten the pliers.

I have to warm the peepers in hot water to soften them, then have DH hold each bird in a towel while I put them on by hand. My girls are tame enough that I could do it alone if I had the right tools. One of my girls lost her peepers this am in the coop...and already she pecked a scab off the comb of my leghorn, causing it to bleed.

So, put em back on...

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WalkingOnSunshine said:

You can buy snap ring pliers for about $7 at any big box hardware store like Lowe's or Home Depot. The prices they try to charge you for "Chicken Peeper Pliers" from chicken supply stores are highway robbery, pure and simple.

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