Hen pecking on the wood inside coop run

[mrsmoore]

Hi I'm a newbie to hens and want to know if it's normal for a hen to peck on the wood inside the coop run/chicken tractor. My two girls (Red Shavers) free range for half the day around a big backyard and seem to have enough to eat, as well as plenty of food inside the coop run

 

[ChickensRDinos]

hmm. What kind of feed are they getting?

 

[mrsmoore]

We are feeding them layer pellets, and mash as well as scraps like salad greens (it's beginning of Summer here).

 

[7&8]

Hi mrsmoore. The beginning of summer sounds nice! As for your wood pecking hen, as long as you're certain that their dietary needs are being met - and it sounds as if they are - I wouldn't be overly concerned about her "wood pecking." Maybe it just feels good to her?

Chickens obsess over strange materials. This week, I noticed the marauders who gained access into the part of our barn where they are not allowed had pecked their way around a stack of blue styrofoam insulation boards. Yesterday, probably the same group, had ripped pieces from a stack of empty feed bags in the garage, another off limits location. They shouldn't be loose - shame on me.

Do your birds have access to something they can hone/ sharpen their beaks on, such as cement, a brick, or large stones? For the most part, chickens keep their own beaks trimmed by swiping them on coarse materials they find.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Great post from 7&8. It sounds like they should be getting a balance diet. Some chickens are just odd.

My only other thought is that she is bored - although with free range she shouldn't be. You could do a flock block or a treat ball in there just to give her something better to hopefully fixate on.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/flock-block-substitute-recipe-healthy.html

http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=16295

 

[mrsmoore]

Thank you for such great advice 7&8. We have a lot to learn about hens so good to know about the beak sharpening - I must admit she has a very nice pointy beak, unlike her friend who has a dented looking one and never does the same behaviour. We have access to concrete (cement) paths and rocks when free ranging, so could be her wee habit

 

[mrsmoore]

Thanks heaps ChickensRDinos - I must look up how to make those treats/boredom busters, as they are in their coop/run (chicken tractor) for half a day and she could be getting bored. I'd let my girls out sooner during the days I'm home, but don't know how to get them back in the coop as they run away from me if I go to pick them up. So I let them out in the latter half of the day when I know I'll be home and they put themselves eventually to bed. Any tips how to lure them back into the coop/run or how to pick them up without running all around the yard would be gratefully received

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Thanks heaps ChickensRDinos - I must look up how to make those treats/boredom busters, as they are in their coop/run (chicken tractor) for half a day and she could be getting bored. I'd let my girls out sooner during the days I'm home, but don't know how to get them back in the coop as they run away from me if I go to pick them up. So I let them out in the latter half of the day when I know I'll be home and they put themselves eventually to bed. Any tips how to lure them back into the coop/run or how to pick them up without running all around the yard would be gratefully received

If I need my girls to go inside I toss a handful of mealworms into the back of the coop and they all come running. Now they know what the mealworm bowl looks like so really if I just bring out the bowl they will go inside. But, I only have 5 hens and they are pretty tame so I am not sure how well it would work with a larger flock.