Please Help! Lowest Ranking Hen In Bad Condition!

[7L Farm]

GBS is Game Bird Starter its 28 % protein. Don't over feed GBS it can cause gout. I feed it for a couple of weeks & then back off. I've found it normally takes about a month for the birds to feather back out. I guess some are faster than others depending on the health of the bird.

 

[Rhoise]

Rhoise: Thank You! That seems very useful, And is there a video that explains how to install them?

Not sure about a video, but I read alot about them on this web site, and others guided me through the process and assured me the hens would figure them out after a day or so, and they sure did!! I'm so glad for the help and reassurance people gave me!!!

I just warmed the peepers up in hot water, it has to be a two person job to put them on unless your a master wrangler/ magician. I didn't use any special tools just separated them with my thumbs, while DH held the chickens head and neck still. they shake and buck a bit after and takes them a while to figure out how to walk and eat and drink, but they recover quickly and the three I put them on are still boss biddies, just don't have the same forward chase drive they had before the peepers.

Two of mine have giant combs, and I was worried, but they are doing great, it's been over a month now. I tried to take them off one hen, and within a day she was right back to her evil ways so back on they went. They chased my poor little white pullet so hard I think they injured her and kept her from eating.I had to cull her last week after having her isolated for weeks, so this wasn't done lightly, these girls were headed for the crockpot, but they are great layers so I was willing to try the peepers.

 

[Ellochicken]

They chased my poor little white pullet so hard I think they injured her and kept her from eating.

What do you mean they chased her? Did they chase her away from food or something? Please explain that to me, just for future refrence.... And how old is your little white pullet?

-Ellochicken

 

[Rhoise]

They would chase her away from food, nest boxes, roosts, the coop, it started as regular old hen pecking and turned brutal. They were all raised together from chicks and it turned brutal around POL.

The white pullet was less mature(comb wattles) than the others and the top biddie started chasing her for sport not just to guard the food any more, then the other two hench hens joined in and they would gang up on her. Pecking, feather pulling, comb biting, she was afraid to go near the coop or run, started sleeping headfirst in nest boxes to avoid roosting fights at night.

I bought a small pen to separate the bad top hen in and did. After one day in the pen alone, she had rubbed her beak off till it was bleeding. I started to leave them out alot more hoping that would help( they were not as successful at bullying in open spaces), but was terrified they weren't safe in or out of the pens.

I separated the white pullet in the small pen during the day before she got injured, and put her to roost with the others at nite after dark and free ranging in the afternoons. I watched them in the am hoping they would knock it off.

When I took the white pullet out the bullies started in on the other pullets. One would guard the feeders, one the nest boxes, and the other was the evil roost queen, they would actually bite the combs and wattles so hard they would bleed.

One day I came home from work after trying several things to stop it all and they had I think, chased the white pullet into something and/or injured her head or neck somehow. She drooped a wing and couldn't balance well.

I considered all aspects ie: possible illness, injury, wasn't sure what caused the bullies to go after her, or her injuries for sure, but separated her in case she was ill and that could be the reason she was a target.

after two weeks of the poor white pullet not recovering from her injuries and getting worse(couldn't walk and or stand any more) despite several attempts to save her, and the others starting to attack her even out of the pen, I decided to cull her.

This all happened in a short span of a few weeks towards the end of August, I resorted to peepers, and all major bullying stopped. The three bullies still rank as the top three biddies but can't get the forward accurate drive to really pick on the others with these goofy looking peepers on. It makes me sad to see the 3 beautiful birds wearing plastic blinders, but the whole hen house has peace now!! Everyone is getting along well no more fighting just regular hen pecking stuff.

I am still very sad over poor "Snow" she was a very sweet bird and had just started to lay eggs when she noticeably got sick or injured. Within two weeks she had deteriorated to the point I thought it cruel and selfish to keep her alive anymore.

So far everyone else is happy and healthy, I get 6-7 eggs a day out of 7 pullets most days. The fact that snow was looking good up until two weeks before her injury, and laying eggs right up until the last few days, I think we have ruled out any major contagious factors such as Marek's etc. Not 100% sure what caused her demise but suspect she was injured or got sick and the other hens singled her out for that reason.

I tried to remove the peepers from one hen(the roost queen) and within 24 hours she was back at it, so back on went the peepers. I will try again in a few weeks maybe another hen, in hopes that someday they'll quit it.

Gertie top biddie AKA food guard, and Kingston AKA roost Queen no More! with Ruby
the new smallest lowest girl on the totem pole all enjoying some pumpkin together!!

 

[Ellochicken]

Rhoise:I am so sorry about Snow, but you did the right thing.

So the peepers really work, huh? And the chicken saddle I've ordered is sending in 2 days, and won't be here until the 15th! Ugh! My poor Star is getting worse by the minute, and I feel helpless, so I'll try the peepers. And my family doesn't have any other pen that we can separete her with, but when we do, are there any feeders and/or waterers that I could use inside of a medium sized pet carrier?
Thanks for so much help!

-Ellochicken

 

[Rhoise]

I fed snow a mix of layer pellets and yogurt, she liked it and it didn't spill in small ceramic ramakins, I also used a small child sized bucket clipped with a dog leash clip or carabeaner to the wire on the dog crate so it wouldn't spill with water in it, or my old quart size chick waterer is fine for one chicken up on bricks in the crate. You can get screw on dished but they're spendy...I also use a dog crate for isolation if needed and may sell the pen I have, its just a cheapo one from the farm store, not really safe for racoons and such.

 

[chkn]

I like to keep food and water in two locations so the picked on one can't be starved. I like to get a big flock block for them down at the farm supply so they have something else to pick at. It's nice to have a place for the picked on hen that she can crawl into and a divider or such that she doesn't have to be face to face with the aggressor all the time. I also added some 2x2's in the run so they can get above the rest. They like the view and sometimes they use it to get away from a randy rooster. They have nesting boxes and roosts to get away from the others. If that doesn't work, some of that no pick tar can be helpful or separate the bully for awhile. I'd pay special attention to the picked on one. Give her extra treats, etc. OH, I forgot the most important thing: Feed them some protein so they don't crave something MEATY. A big can of cat food or dry cat food for a few days. Some hard boiled crushed egg, shell and all. I'd do it every day for 3-4 days. Then do it twice a week for awhile. Then once a week. It's not a bad idea to give them some here and there, especially if they can't free range. Keep them full for awhile so they don't want to go after someone else!!!

 

[Rhoise]

good ideas, we increased protien from 16-20% added two more feeders and one more water bucket so they couldn't guard all the food , tried gatorade bottles with holes drilled in them and scratch inside, that keeps them busy for a few hours too, tried to add obstacles in coop to allow the one being picked on to hide, bought a flock block too)most of our problems started around POL when we started locking them up in the mornings so they would lay in the coop instead of all over the yard.

The bullying went from an occational occurance to an obsessive game with three of my high ranking hens. Even though it wasn't as bad while free rangeing in the yard, it started to progress rapidly there too.

I just gave up spending money and trying different things. I started to hate my favorite PBR hen Gertie because she would start the whole process and the others would takeup where she left off(she was fatter and couldn't catch snow like the hench sister RIR's) Finnally I resorted to peepers, yes they are kinda stupid looking and I feel they take the beauty of the birds and ruin it, but they are all great layers that I raised from day olds. I didn't want to cull them, i just wanted them to be nice and sweet like my sex links.

Now with the peepers they are!! Back to being happy together, minimal fights on the roost, Gertie allows others to eat more while she is eating sometimes LOL(we kept a bucket feeder in for the peeper girls at first cause they didn't like the peepers touching the hanging feeders when they tried to eat) Now no problems eating out of feeders,or anywhere, but it does still slow them down with things like scratch on the ground, now I just feed treats in a stainless steel dog pan so they can get some before the peeperless hens get it all!!