Head Pecking

[moondog425]

How can I stop my hens from pecking a few of the other on the head,I have two that are about bald. They seem fine but look terrible. Is there any thing I can do?

 

[Miss Lydia]

get some Blue-kote and spray the ones being pecked with it, it will disguise the area. but frist try to figure out why this is happening, is it pecking order, what are they eating? are they getting the right kind of nourishment? are they bored? do they get time out in the yard free ranging? all of these things can add up to feather pecking. If it's pecking order then sometimes removing the ones doing the pecking can stir up the order enough that it will stop it. or try giving them extra protein. if they are confined then maybe a head of lettuce or cabbage hung on a string that they can work over inside their run. And some chickens just don't do well in confinement either.

 

[sourland]

I see from your BYC page that you have several roosters. Are you sure that they are not responsible for this damage? Too many roosters to too few hens can lead to many problems.

 

[moondog425]

No just one Rooster the other five are all laying eggs ! The big red Hen is doing most of the pecking and she is my friendliest chick towards people. she is picking on two of the little game hens........I'm thinking I will build them a seperate pin and see if she pecks on the bigger white hen.
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