Hen Pecked until Bleeding

[chemew]

I hope someone can help. I bought three chickens from someone who I felt had far too many chickens in their run. The three I "rescued" had almost all of their tail feathers and backside feathers pecked out. There were many other chickens like this as well.

When I got the chickens home, I introduced them to the flock as normal and treated their backsides with the blue kote just to prevent the temptation for the others to peck at the pink skin. Two of them have grown back their soft feathers on the bottom and are starting to grow tail feathers. However, in the morning when I let them out into the run, at least one of these and sometimes all have some blood showing at the tip of their quills.

This morning, my columbian wyandotte (Pabla) was bleeding pretty bad. I keep spraying them with blue kote and they seem to do fine during the day in the run but the mornings are typically the same.

The coop is 8'x8'x'10' and the run in 20'x20'. There are a total of 15 chickens, and 4 guineas. There isn't a a separate run or coop.

I was thinking I should separate the girls at night. I do have a small cage they could sleep in and then let them out in the morning and do this until all their feathers grow back normal.

What do y'all recommend?

 

[chicmom]

At night, chickens just sleep because it's dark. They roost. They shouldn't be pecking each other during the night....Do you light the coop all night?

 

[boogiedog]

Two completely seperate thoughts; are they able to exit the coop with first light of the morning? If they are awake and anxious to get out, that is when the pecking may start.

Seperately, I am a big fan of pinless peepers. That has completely stopped feather picking with my ladies, and everyone is now fat and healthy. Just a thought.

 

[StarLover21]

Quote:
Oh mine peck at eachother while they roost. They peck so hard they fall off the roosts!

 

[chemew]

Thanks for the replies. I have light that comes on inside the coop around 5am. But I noticed they do peck while they're getting on the roosts and finding their position but normally they'll settle down.

On the pinless peepers - how do you attach those things?