feather picking ?????

[Buckhunter]

3 week old chicks ... welsummer , maran , GLW,SLW and golden comet ............. some off the chicks are getting bald spots picked out on their backs ............... should we be concerned ??? ................... is there anything we can do about it ???? ............................. the golden comets seem to be the agressive ones ..................... that kinda surprises me ???????

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
usually they do this peaking to each other if they are HOT and to crowded .

How many chicks do you have in the cage ?

there is a spray you can buy at feedstore , its purple in color and its a disinfectant and antispectic . you need to spray them , and dont be surprised if they start bleeding ( not from the spraying ) from being peaked on so much . . you will have to separate your more aggressive ones .

 

[Buckhunter]

I have 25 ( 5 each ) ............ I have them in a 5 ft diameter wading pool for a brooder ........... actually I recently move them into the pool ....... they were in a 100 gal water tank ......... I think they were getting too much heat in the tank ...................... will they stop picking or will it continue ??????

 

[LynneP]

I think they are too crowded. My golden comets are 6 weeks old and I had half as many in that space. Mind you, at two weeks they were *flying*! I have had no aggression on their part despite their size and in fact my two gentlest baby hens are golden comets. Is your coop ready?

 

[Buckhunter]

Quote:
I'm working on it today .............. probably wont be finished before next weekend

 

[gritsar]

Overheating and overcrowding are two of the reasons for feather picking. Your best bet would be to remedy those situations if that's the case.
I've heard of and seen different sprays that you can use to discourage the picking, but I've also heard they don't work. Pine tar worked for me when two of my smallest pullets were getting pecked. In my case, I've always wondered if it was their color that caused it; since these two are black feathered and the ones doing the pecking are lights (white) and buffs.
Pine tar worked well after just one application. It smells nasty and it's a ut hum to apply. It must also taste nasty because after one little taste the "peckers" never bothered the "peckees" again.