Head pecking

[Want Less]

We have a flock of almost 1 yr olds - 5 hens and one accidental rooster. Our rooster has 2 favorite girls, and they started loosing back feathers because of it, so I made saddles for them, which work great. One of the two got really stressed and began to get picked on during this whole ordeal, and is now clearly on the bottom of the totem pole. Before I got a saddle on her, the other hens had pecked up her back pretty well. I painted it with Blu-Kote and put the saddle on, and her back is looking better now (4-ish days later). However, they are continuing to dominate her and peck her head clean of feathers. Before the back issue, they all seemed to get along fine.

I have her in a pen now with just the rooster (who she adores). Other than breeding, he pretty much behaves around her so far (but as we know, in the chicken world, thats apt to change any day) Is there anything I can safely put on her head to prevent further head pecking and help it heal? Ive heard of people putting Blu-Kote on heads but HOW are you doing it without them shaking it everywhere & you possibly applying it right in their eye? Geez, I had a hard enough time getting in on her back, and she still kept trying to peck the dauber and slinging her head everywhere. By the end of it, her whole face and beak (and me) was purple...

Anyway, I'm looking for any and all suggestions for head pecking here. Isolating her, even next to the main pen, seems to overly stress her. If it were just one mean culprit, I take that one out, but it's random ones who start it and the rest seem to join in. I'm assuming its because she's just "down" right now trying to recover, making her the easy target.

Suggestions?

 

[Want Less]

Im bumping my own post here (a day later) in hopes of getting some help... hope this is allowed...

 

[imtc]

get some rooster booster...it's dark purple stuff you can put on the head that will help it heal and taste bad to keep others from picking it.

 

[purpletree23]

If she is in with the rooster and he doesn't peck at her or try to mount her too often she should be alright but I would put blu-kote on her head so the rooster doesn't get any ideas. Blu-kote can be a mess but get someone to hold her for you. I like the blu-kote in the spray can. More on them and less on me.

To make her stronger I would give her a lot of fresh greens, lots of protein like scrambled egg and chopped bits of meat and cottage cheese. Put poultry vitamins in her water and see what happens. Unfortunately there is always one at the bottom. In a few weeks she should be able to run or fight back better as long as there isn't an underlying problem like lice or mites.

Check her carefully for lice and mites if you haven't. She might need to be wormed. The hens picking on her can run her down but so can the other things mentioned.

Let the hens free range if they are cooped up. If the coop is too small or too warm this can cause feather picking. Usually boredom.

Someone else on her tonight mentioned adding a flock block to the coop to keep them occupied. You can also skewer a cabbage (pound a long lag bolt through it and put a nut at the bottom) and hang it and the chickens can play 'eat the tether ball' and stay occupied.

Hope this helps......keep us posted


It's up to you but if I were growing new feathers I wouldn't want to be confined in a hen apron. Maybe remove it while she is getting back on her feet?

 

[ChickyLoo]

Quote:
is this something that is readily available on the ground or do you have to order it on-line? is this it? http://www.amazon.com/Rooster-Booster-Poultry-Cell/dp/B003Z2ZJ1U