How to seperate????

[HeatherTheMommy]

My buff brahma is missing a bunch of feathers by her tail and the others keep pecking at her making it worse. I thought it was mites but i think it was the beginning of bullying that now i cant fix. Ive been using wound spray and desitin to mask it but she picks it off. I know i need to seperate her but not sure how???? Can i put her in a dog crate within the coop?

 

[Ameraucanas]

Yes, try that for a few days, and then install a red light.

 

[HeatherTheMommy]

I have a red light that comes on from 7 to 8 pm and back on at 6 til 7 am. When should i use the light now?

 

[BeachMomma]

If it's one or two particular bullies maybe take them out and put them in the crate (if it's big enough) for a few days. It'll change the dynamics of the pecking order.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Is the red light to stimulate laying? If so, red light isn't the answer. You need a white light to simulate day light.
If the light is to subdue aggression, blue is more calming to chickens. Red tends to hide blood.


X2 what BeachMama said.

 

[HeatherTheMommy]

Went to lock them up and she lookseven worse. Her vent area is all picked at and bloody. I'm not sure what to do. What can i do for their boredom? I'm going to try to find a crate to keep her in and possibly rehome her. I feel so bad. If she's getting any sort of vent infection can i apply nystatin cream? I have some from when i had thrush.

 

[HeatherTheMommy]

I think it's mostly everyone picking at her open wound now. Shouldn't have gotten rid of my rooster

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Separate out the hen until she heals, a wire dog crate will work, then you need to figure out why they are doing it, how old are they, what is the size of your coop, what are you feeding them, how big is their run, what's your setup like, it's not normal for them to start pecking someone for no reason, it is normal for them to peck someone who is bleeding, use bluekote on the wounds. Why are you using lights.

 

[HeatherTheMommy]

They hatched around may 8th. Their coop is pretty large. Its a wooden shed we made into a coop. They are being fed layena and oyster shells but a week or 2 ago my husband mixed up their feed and was giving them scratch in with their feed. He also put a flock block in ther which i removed this week. The run is 14×14. The coop is not within the run it has a small door on the back that goes out into the run. I think they are bored because they have eaten all of the grass and we are trying to save up to put sand in the run. What can i do for boredom? I had a rooster and 2 guinea fowl which i rehomed and i think they are establishing new pecking order because those 3 were bullies who left.

Separate out the hen until she heals, a wire dog crate will work, then you need to figure out why they are doing it, how old are they, what is the size of your coop, what are you feeding them, how big is their run, what's your setup like, it's not normal for them to start pecking someone for no reason, it is normal for them to peck someone who is bleeding, use bluekote on the wounds. Why are you using lights.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Scratch can be good for boredom, throw it in the run to give them stuff to scratch for, but you're right it can lower protein, I like keeping my hens on a grower or an all flock because it has higher protein, with a free choice oyster shells, I also give mine some black oil sunflower seeds, I have had good luck doing deep litter in my run, we put grass clippings, fall leaves, garden produce, and I like bales of hay, they scratch around and eat the grasses and it encourages good bugs in the soil.

I would toss them food scraps in the run when you have them to keep them busy, I would put logs and perhaps some perches for them to get up on, and table or platforms to go under, and visual things that a hen can go behind and disappear to the others.

You are right about the rooster leaving messes with the pecking order, as well as roosters will break up hen fights. They are at a goofy age where they aren't mature mentally, in a normal flock there would be roosters and older hens to put them in their place. They should eventually calm down and maybe by then the hen that was pecked on can rejoin them, and if you can identify the leader in the pecking she could spend some time in jail to knock her down a bit on the pecking order.