CAT FOOD FOR PECKING PROBLEMS?

[chicknmania]

I agree that they are probably too crowded. There are other forms of protein, don't feed catfood, too high in salt among other things.

If you want to increase protein, you can add a few mealworms to their diet, or sunflower seeds or chopped salt free peanuts. Just don't overwhelm
them with that type of food. Purina Flock Raiser or Gamebird food are also both higher in protein.

FeatherFixer feed is also higher in protein, and has some ingredients that will help them regrow feathers, but it is very hard to find, at least here there are not many dealers that sell it and they are always sold out.

 

[cafarmgirl]

At this point adding protein to their diet is not going to solve this bad habit they've gotten into. Consuming too much protein is also not good for them. Their layer feed should be sufficient. Once pecking has progressed to this point it is often a very, very hard habit to break. All you can do is get them into as large a space as possible, even free range them, and see if it makes any difference. You don't have anything to loose since they certainly can't keep living this way. The area you have them in now is too small for a flock with a problem like this. You can give them distractions, throw in some flakes of alfalfa to scratch apart, toss some scratch on top of it for added interest, toss leaves or grass clippings in the run for them to scratch through, that sort if thing. I don't think those things are going to make a difference at this point however.

 

[AngryRooster]

You could always try Rooster Booster which is an anti-pecking cream sold at most local feeds or pet stores. However, if it doesn't work, then adding protein to their diet could also help. Personally, I think this chicken pecking is simply a stage most chickens get over eventually. My hens used to pick on one specific hen and it got really bad, to the point where all her back feathers were pulled off and she was bleeding. Eventually, my hens just stopped pecking her and everything seems to be going along just fine. Hope this helps!

 

[chicknmania]

I wouldn't give mealworms and stuff all the time, but occasionally will not hurt them, and we feed Flockraiser all winter, because our peafowl do need higher protein and there's no real way to feed them separately, so they all get it. It won't hurt chickens to have it for a bit, it's not that high, just 17 %. We switch to layer in summer. But everyone here has good suggestions, and it won't hurt to try everything suggested. We have never had that problem, except when we have chickens together in a pen. Our flock normally freeranges all the time. Try and see is all you can do.

 

[ynendine]

Well I really appreciate all your suggestions.... I pulled out the biggest bully today and gave her to a friend on a large farm to free range ...hopefully this will make things alittle better and also give more room for others.. it just crushed me.... my coop is 4x8 and attached pen they have acess too at all times is 8x12...isn't that plenty for 7 hens???..I heard that uping the protein can mess the laying cycle up???? Out of the 8 I was getting 6 to 8 eggs a day...nice one...this april they are 1 yr old...the one I pulled chased and pecked all others even with pinless peepers on she managed to peck...It will be interesting what happens next...I don't know if I should change brand of food??? should I??I am currently using blue seal layer feed 16%,....up for more suggestions here...thanks everyone!!! I decided not to do cat food thing...bougt a bag and actually gave 1/4 cup dry food and they wouldn't touch it anyway..

 

[chicknmania]

I think following the suggestion of chicken playthings is best, since you removed the bully. And try to spend some time with them to see what's going on. Apple on a string is another suggestion for something for them to do...and it's hilarious to watch! Or you can use an ear of field corn, or head of cabbage. Ours love to play apple on a string tetherball...you might have to cut little slices out of the apple to strew on the ground around it, so they can figure out what it is. I only give them this treat once a month or so in winter.or when the weather is bad or they can't go out for some reason..so they never get tired of it. Unfortunately though, only the ones at the top of the pecking order get to play...so sometimes I'll give them two,, in two different areas so others will have a chance to try.

and try the antipecking stuff if you can find it...

Other than that, just watch for a while and see. Good luck.

 

[DimondaleBergs]

I'm not an expert, but I've had this same issue with a few of my girls. I found information on one of the forums (and for the life of me, I can't remember which now

) that said that they sometimes do this because they are bored from being cooped up. They suggested to give them black oil seeds, hang a head of cabbage high enough that they need to jump up to get a little peck at it (keeps them busy), or using the flock block.
We tried the block method a few weeks ago (it lasted nearly two weeks), and it seemed to help. I noticed that when the block ran out, they started picking on each other a little bit again. So back to the feed store we went yesterday

I'm hoping that between the block, and spring coming...PLEASE let it get here soon...lol they will work their way through this again.
FYI...I live in Michigan, and we've had more snow and cold weather than I can remember since I was a child.

 

[donrae]

The protein percentage in layer feed is the minimum needed for most hens to maintain laying, it's by no means a maximum. Does your feed contain any animal protein? I'd increase protein, and really do something to shake them up and try to break the habit. Move something into the run to make them distracted from each other. I think it was Mrs K who likes to put pallets up on some cement blocks, makes a double decker place and actually increases the space in the run, cause they can get under and on top of it. If you do something like that, or even just put an old stump, log, heck even a big cardboard box, just something to shake up their world and really distract them from each other, might help.

Food treats are good, too, especially blocks or cabbage, things that take a lot of effort to eat. I feed both grit and oyster shell on the ground of the run, that gives them something to do, scratching around. I have a few pieces of plywood just laying in the run, every so often I flip one over to a new spot and let the flock eat all the bugs/worms that have accumulated underneath.

 

[chicknmania]

Ours like the flock block, and I see some working on it every day, but they've been making it last...a month anyway.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

As hinted at above, most chicken feed formulated for back yard flocks is designed to satisfy either the flock owners' pocket book or else appeal to their predigests. This food seldom meets a chickens' true dietary requirements. Any, and I do mean any chicken feed that has no animal protein in it is a poor and incomplete ration. Don't be fooled by pretty catch phrases like "crude" protein. This "crude" protein business has more in common with a high school chemistry class than it does with a dozen eggs. Crude protein is or can be nothing more than the percent of Nitrogen in chicken feed that when degrade or rotted turns into ammonia. Why do you think that commercial chicken houses smell like ammonia? It's the protein.

Hens peck other hens for the same reason that people climb mountains, because the target hen is there. Nothing works so much as enough room for the target bird to get off by itself. You may well play musical chicken coops from now on and still not solve the problem.