- Sep 16, 2014
- 2
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Hi~
I have a flock of 11 (now 10 chickens in my backyard). I have been dealing with feather pecking for over a year now. I've tried different things: Blu-Kote, chicken saddles, adding kitten food and meal worms for protein, adding "stuff" to do to entertain them. The coop is large, the run is long. The only thing is that nothing natural grows there because well, chickens.
We just found one dead in the coop. She was the most henpecked one with feather's missing under her chin. I'd separated her 2 weeks ago because I saw her wing was spilling blood from where a feather had been plucked.
The chicken was lying dead near the fence. Her head was still attached, but her beak looked smashed and her combed looked all messed up. Her abdomen was eaten, but I wonder if the chickens got her down and then a cat or something took advantage of the downed/dead chicken.
I am really beginning to hate this brood. I hate that they have a taste for feathers. I don't like killing anything, but I'm sick of this behavior and I feel like I'm at my wits end. If they are killing each other I don't know what to do.
Would they eat a chicken if it was already dead?
Kelly
I have a flock of 11 (now 10 chickens in my backyard). I have been dealing with feather pecking for over a year now. I've tried different things: Blu-Kote, chicken saddles, adding kitten food and meal worms for protein, adding "stuff" to do to entertain them. The coop is large, the run is long. The only thing is that nothing natural grows there because well, chickens.
We just found one dead in the coop. She was the most henpecked one with feather's missing under her chin. I'd separated her 2 weeks ago because I saw her wing was spilling blood from where a feather had been plucked.
The chicken was lying dead near the fence. Her head was still attached, but her beak looked smashed and her combed looked all messed up. Her abdomen was eaten, but I wonder if the chickens got her down and then a cat or something took advantage of the downed/dead chicken.
I am really beginning to hate this brood. I hate that they have a taste for feathers. I don't like killing anything, but I'm sick of this behavior and I feel like I'm at my wits end. If they are killing each other I don't know what to do.
Would they eat a chicken if it was already dead?
Kelly
