Pea Peckers

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KsKingBee

KsKingBee

Free Ranging
10 Years
Sep 29, 2013
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The Scenic Flint Hills of Kansas
Poor Sweepea was in the same brooder with two peachicks that were two weeks younger than her and three peachicks that were three weeks younger than her. One morning when we were feeding we heard a ruckus in their brooder and poor little Sweepea was just standing there with her head on the floor letting the two younger peas peck and tear her eyelid bloody. We pulled Sweepea out and put her in her own cage by herself where she has been living for the last three weeks.

Today we sanitized and readied a new brooder with an outside run and moved Sweepea, the peas that she used to be with and about fifteen three, four, and five week old peas out to the new digs. It did not take long for the same two peas to start picking on Sweepeas eyelids blooding them in the process. Again she just puts her head down and let them do it. They are also picking on most of the younger ones as well but they run away. I need to do something asap to protect the wee ones, Sweepea is back inside for now but eventually she needs to go out with the flock, she has outgrown her cage..

Back in the 80's I used to raise pheasants and when I had picking problems I put blinders on the offenders. I don't really want to have to do that but what other options do I have?
 
All the chicks need to be the same age when you put them in the brooder you can't mix match ages the older ones will pick on the smaller ones even if they are older by a few days.
 
25eggfarm said:
All the chicks need to be the same age when you put them in the brooder you can't mix match ages the older ones will pick on the smaller ones even if they are older by a few days.
Click to expand...

My problem is the younger ones picking on the older one.
sad.png
 
Besides being initially painful when applied and very stressful for the birds to get used to, the peepers are constantly irritating to the nostrils and can also interfere with the birds' ability to effectively clear their nostrils... creating a buildup of gunk and bacteria. That could just be begging for sinus infections that Peas are already so susceptible to. I'd also worry about scar tissue forming in the nostrils and making them more prone to having sinus issues for the rest of their lives once the peepers are removed. I have personal experience (both good and bad) with using assorted styles of peepers on several kind of birds over the years, just not with Peas... so these sinus infection issue concerns that the peepers could cause your Peas are JMO, but food for thought.

Completely separating SweetPea from the others when she gets picked on just paints a big red bull's eye on her face every time you try to add her back in. Even Peachicks can become protective and territorial of their perceived flock and area. So instead of taking SweetPea out, I'd put her in her cage for protection but leave her cage inside the new brooder/pen with everybody so she's not a complete stranger to the flock each time you try to add her back in. After leaving her caged in the pen for a week or 2, see if the 2 little cannibals go after her again when you let her out... if they do then I would try caging those 2 for a couple weeks instead, and let poor lil SweetPea have time to acclimate to her new home and flock-mates. If no one else tries to cannibalize her while the 2 meanies are locked up but they immediately start attacking her again when you add them back in, then obviously those 2 lil peckers will need their own pen (or a trip to the auction if they are not worth the effort and expense of building another pen). Hopefully they will outgrow that bad habit tho and won't have to be blacklisted as cannibals for life
hmm.png
 
25eggfarm said:
All the chicks need to be the same age when you put them in the brooder you can't mix match ages the older ones will pick on the smaller ones even if they are older by a few days.
Click to expand...
Really? Perhaps you need a bigger brooder cause i been doing this for a few years now, even put in some geese, ducks , chickens and keets, sure ever once in a while i have a pecker and like KSKingBee i have had an eye get pecked but it is usually the younger ones that do this not the older ones, i separate the pecker for a few days in a round pen in the brooder and it stops them, however if blood is drawn the victim will need to be separate so there is nothing that draws them to the pecked area.

































 
KsKingBee said:
Poor Sweepea was in the same brooder with two peachicks that were two weeks younger than her and three peachicks that were three weeks younger than her. One morning when we were feeding we heard a ruckus in their brooder and poor little Sweepea was just standing there with her head on the floor letting the two younger peas peck and tear her eyelid bloody. We pulled Sweepea out and put her in her own cage by herself where she has been living for the last three weeks.

Today we sanitized and readied a new brooder with an outside run and moved Sweepea, the peas that she used to be with and about fifteen three, four, and five week old peas out to the new digs. It did not take long for the same two peas to start picking on Sweepeas eyelids blooding them in the process. Again she just puts her head down and let them do it. They are also picking on most of the younger ones as well but they run away. I need to do something asap to protect the wee ones, Sweepea is back inside for now but eventually she needs to go out with the flock, she has outgrown her cage..

Back in the 80's I used to raise pheasants and when I had picking problems I put blinders on the offenders. I don't really want to have to do that but what other options do I have?
Click to expand...
Poor Sweet Pea she has had a rough start in life but she will grow up to be a tough ol gal, sending healing prayers her way.
You could throw in a big ol tree branch with leaves all over it to give them something to do, it sounds like they are board, this will give them something new to do taking their attention off of sweet pea, if that don't work i would seperate the thugs for a couple days.
 
Last edited:

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