Badly Pecked Hen Need Advice

[GaDawgChic]

What % protein do you feed them? Also, do they have oyster shell/egg shell available free choice as a calcium supplement if needed?

The Purina bag says it is 16% protein, 3.50% calcium. I don't have anything else available for them.

 

[Iluveggers]

Does your farm store sell a chick grower or an all-flock? If you can switch to that, and offer oyster shell for calcium on the side that would give them more protein, usually around 20%.

I put cinder block steps in my run, mini perches along the fence under my raised coop, and a raised pallet to climb on & run under.

Although many people frown upon treats, I pick a clump of clover or dandelion every morning for the girls to scratch through/pick at. I don’t consider that a “treat” as if they were free ranging all day they would get a lot more grass than that. My girls also get to go outside in the gsrden for a few hours every afternoon if I am home. Dried fallen leaves are wonderful and they love to scratch in them (last year I saved 8 garbage bags full, and would replace every so often.) It would keep them busy for days.

Good luck with your girls. If you have time, once you let the “bully” back in, if you see her start pecking someone else, just give her a swift poke. Might have to do that a few times but it should deter her.

 

[FunClucks]

The Purina bag says it is 16% protein, 3.50% calcium. I don't have anything else available for them.

So (my understanding is) that protein level is the absolute minimum you can give chickens and still have them "healthy" enough to lay eggs... You might look up some discussions on here about chicken feed and feeding philosophies, and which commercial feeds are good and why. For large chicken houses, the idea is to spend the absolute minimum on food for the maximum of eggs, but for backyard chickens, we may be willing to increase food cost slightly to see a benefit in chicken health. That 16% value is taken from the commercial poultry industry.

I feed mine 20% Purina Flock Raiser (all flock) and provide free choice oyster shell/egg shell and grit. I have a rooster and 3.5% calcium long term would not be good for him. All hen flocks are usually just fine with All Flock and free choice oyster shell and grit, assuming the chickens eat the oyster shell like they're supposed to and are able to metabolize the calcium properly. Laying feed is fine for an all hen flock, until/unless there are problems, but even then, I'd try and get one with 18% protein instead of 16%.

In your case, I'd definitely increase the protein, and provide free choice oyster shell and whatever eggshell you have available to re-feed. [Bake the eggshell till dry to combat germs and mold, then crush into flakes prior to feeding - folks on here have a variety ways to do this.] See if that and the boredom busters help.

I'd be interested to hear what Kiki and others have to say also.

 

[GaDawgChic]

Thank you to everyone for all of the suggestions. I have changed all of them to an 18% Protein feed from Nutrena called Feather Fixer. It has other areas that are higher than usual to help feathers grow back a little faster. Once they get their feathers back pretty good, they have a 20% Protein feed that I will switch them over to.

I put 2 of the girls (Bindi and Terri) that weren't badly injured back into the coop with the one that seemed to have done all of the pecking (Dixie) last week. They all seemed to be good but once they notice the bald rear end area they would go and peck. I had a water gun I would spray them with, but I can only sit out there so long. There was no way I could leave them by themselves so I brought Bindi and Terri back inside and I ordered the pinless peepers. Once they arrived and we got them put on, I put them back in the coop with Dixie and everyone is good with the peepers. So only Grace is left inside. She's the one I had to take to the vet. Her injury is just about healed up and should be ready to go back out in the next few days. I hope I don't have to put the peepers on here but we shall see. The others will for sure have to keep them on for a little longer until Grace's feathers start coming back in. I'm not taking any chances!

We bought a flock block and some scratch grain. I'm ordering something that holds a head of cabbage in it that hangs and getting something for some roost bars as well. I wanted to give everyone an update and say thank you again for all of your help!