Chicken pecking :(

[countryladyNH]

Ooh! Chicken jackets. I like the sound of that! Have you used them at all?

Hello and welcome!
We are in New Hampshire, USA, and we have used chicken saddles as they are called. More like an apron really.
I found some on AMAZON UK for you:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=chicken+saddles&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Hope this helps!

 

[Chickenman MAN]

Awww! Thanks a ton! (and UK as well ) I have been thinking about getting one of these... we got the bully pinless peepers but she hates them. Thanks so much!

 

[countryladyNH]

Awww! Thanks a ton! (and UK as well ) I have been thinking about getting one of these... we got the bully pinless peepers but she hates them. Thanks so much!

You are very welcome. I would definitely try them. We use ours if a hen is pecked or sick. They have always worked a treat!! (We never tried pinless peepers...They just looked so horrific...that would be a last resort in my opinion. Really, the aprons should work!)

 

[bjurbrat]

Ooh! Chicken jackets. I like the sound of that! Have you used them at all?

Sorry I'm late I haven't but that's what I would use they have info and patterns on pinterest or if you see look how cute this is ❤

 

[bjurbrat]

Sorry I'm late I haven't but that's what I would use they have info and patterns on pinterest or if you see look how cute this is ❤

 

[Duckbreeder2020]

So! I have recently got 4 ex-battery hens. They are making ok progress with regrowing feathers, however, one poor chick is being pecked on the back, her tails and her wings. Many feathers and new growing feathers have been pecked off. When I see the other hens pecking her it doesn’t seem particularly malicious.... The run is large and spacious with a 30m perimeter. The coop isn’t massive but I never see the hens pecking each other in there. There is ample food and drink, I bring them treats and give them mixed grit with oyster shells for calcium ect. Can anyone suggest ways to stop or prevent pecking and help them regrow feathers?! Thanks so much


ALSO: Do you think I should separate the chook off from the others? Or is that a bit too much?

Remove the chick immediately. It could escalate, get a separate run, don’t leave the poor chick alone though, maybe find some that won’t peck her then keep them with her. Try keeping it small though, maybe 3 or 4.

 

[countryladyNH]

Oh gosh! SO cute!! I am sure they have patterns online!!!

 

[Shellz419]

So! I have recently got 4 ex-battery hens. They are making ok progress with regrowing feathers, however, one poor chick is being pecked on the back, her tails and her wings. Many feathers and new growing feathers have been pecked off. When I see the other hens pecking her it doesn’t seem particularly malicious.... The run is large and spacious with a 30m perimeter. The coop isn’t massive but I never see the hens pecking each other in there. There is ample food and drink, I bring them treats and give them mixed grit with oyster shells for calcium ect. Can anyone suggest ways to stop or prevent pecking and help them regrow feathers?! Thanks so much


ALSO: Do you think I should separate the chook off from the others? Or is that a bit too much?

I had the same issues with my rescues. One of them kept having her chest pecked ever time the feathers would start to grow.
I think it's just instinct to peck anything that looks like it could be food.

What I did was apply tea tree spray which did detur them but as the weather was a bit rainy it did wash off sometimes so it was a long process. It did work however and no chooks seemed worse for wear.
The other option which was suggested to me was putting blinker type things on the chooks that was pecking. I had a few issues with this, one I wasn't sure who was pecking so I'd probably would have had to put it on all the rescues which I didn't want to do since they already spent their life in cages. And I would have had to bulk buy and try to put them on myself which may have required a tool of some sort.
None of which made me want to go that way if I could avoid it.
Personally I didn't want to seperate because of them having already been in cages and they were bonding together. If I had of seperated the chooks being pecked I think she would have been left out.
The tea tree worked well for me.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

I had the same issues with my rescues. One of them kept having her chest pecked ever time the feathers would start to grow.
I think it's just instinct to peck anything that looks like it could be food.

What I did was apply tea tree spray which did detur them but as the weather was a bit rainy it did wash off sometimes so it was a long process. It did work however and no chooks seemed worse for wear.
The other option which was suggested to me was putting blinker type things on the chooks that was pecking. I had a few issues with this, one I wasn't sure who was pecking so I'd probably would have had to put it on all the rescues which I didn't want to do since they already spent their life in cages. And I would have had to bulk buy and try to put them on myself which may have required a tool of some sort.
None of which made me want to go that way if I could avoid it.
Personally I didn't want to seperate because of them having already been in cages and they were bonding together. If I had of seperated the chooks being pecked I think she would have been left out.
The tea tree worked well for me.

Thanks ever so much! I put blinkers on the 'bully' and she has been unable to peck, I plan on taking them off in about two weeks and I sincerely hope it worked! If not I will certainly try the tea tree, it seems like a much kinder alternative, and, the bullied chook has grown most of her pecked feathers back. Do you mean like tea tree oil?

 

[rosemarythyme]

What I did was apply tea tree spray which did detur them but as the weather was a bit rainy it did wash off sometimes so it was a long process. It did work however and no chooks seemed worse for wear.

If not I will certainly try the tea tree, it seems like a much kinder alternative,

Be very careful using tea tree oil around animals (including birds) - it can be highly toxic. This was a cockatiel, not a chicken, but only 3 drops caused issues: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32005244/