Maton1
Chirping
- Feb 3, 2017
- 57
- 45
- 91
So, we found out a week ago that our most loved Hen in the family started going after the other chickens feet to the point of drawing blood. I wouldn't call it 'pecking' per say even though it is,,,,butt almost like biting. She really pecks hard and pulls as if with the intent to draw blood. In the pic below it maybe doesn't look so bad but she did this in a little over an hour's time. She started on another one as well. It started on just last week on the coldest day of winter and all the chickens stayed bunched up together under the coop. There she went to work and fast!!
How I think it all started. Well, we have 5 hens total and only one of the 5 went into a molt this winter. The molting hen is a Maran and she has feathers on her legs. As new pin feathers were coming in on the feet a few bled and I think that's when it all started. 'Twitchy', (her name), discovered that blood and liked it of course. She also started pulling on the feathers real hard of the molting Maran as well as another Maran we have. I also noticed she was going after the fallen off flakes of skins on the bottom of the Coop left from the molting Maran.
This is our first winter with the chickens. We've had them now about a year. Twitchy has never shown signs of doing this before.
I've isolated her since the last couple of days. My question is ....can you really reform such a behaviour (pecking violently of chicken's feet)? Is it really worth it or will trying just prolong the stress? Maybe some simply say it's time for the soup kettle. Or maybe just give her away to another maybe bigger flock. She is young and a great egg layer.
She's the favorite in the family and no one wants to give her up. That's the problem. She became kind of a pet so to say. She's the only tame one.
I know a lot of the possibilities......isolation, pinless peepers, bumpa bits, add more protein to diet, add margarine and butter, boredom busters, vaseline and teatree oil, wicks vaper rub etc............etc....
but in general is there much hope in reforming such a behavior (attacking feet) or is it better to prepare to move on without her in the group? That's life, eat or be eaten.
As relative newbies we're a little bit a wits end and not sure what to do except go through all the lost list of possibilities above. Thanks for any further advice from experience, those who've had chicken feet cannibals before that is! thnx
How I think it all started. Well, we have 5 hens total and only one of the 5 went into a molt this winter. The molting hen is a Maran and she has feathers on her legs. As new pin feathers were coming in on the feet a few bled and I think that's when it all started. 'Twitchy', (her name), discovered that blood and liked it of course. She also started pulling on the feathers real hard of the molting Maran as well as another Maran we have. I also noticed she was going after the fallen off flakes of skins on the bottom of the Coop left from the molting Maran.
This is our first winter with the chickens. We've had them now about a year. Twitchy has never shown signs of doing this before.
I've isolated her since the last couple of days. My question is ....can you really reform such a behaviour (pecking violently of chicken's feet)? Is it really worth it or will trying just prolong the stress? Maybe some simply say it's time for the soup kettle. Or maybe just give her away to another maybe bigger flock. She is young and a great egg layer.
She's the favorite in the family and no one wants to give her up. That's the problem. She became kind of a pet so to say. She's the only tame one.
I know a lot of the possibilities......isolation, pinless peepers, bumpa bits, add more protein to diet, add margarine and butter, boredom busters, vaseline and teatree oil, wicks vaper rub etc............etc....
but in general is there much hope in reforming such a behavior (attacking feet) or is it better to prepare to move on without her in the group? That's life, eat or be eaten.
As relative newbies we're a little bit a wits end and not sure what to do except go through all the lost list of possibilities above. Thanks for any further advice from experience, those who've had chicken feet cannibals before that is! thnx