My Dh gathered the eggs this morning, I had a dr. appointment and I just got in about an hour ago. Anyhow, when I came home he told me that the chicken waterer was covered in blood and my chickens were acting real odd. He seemed to think that maybe they chased something and killed it but then told me that one of the hens had black tips. Anyhow I got dressed and went to the barn and noticed the blood on the waterer, quite a bit enough to make me think they killed something or one of them was injured but then I started inspecting a few of the chickens and noticed several of them had blood on their combs and side of the beaks, I am not sure who is pecking who, but there are no missing feathers and no mites, nothing else wrong with them. but it has been quite cold here and they seem really annoyed. they go out in their run which is quite big and their pen is 11x12 and I got 21 chickens. lots of room.
So its not overcrowding that is causing them to peck at one another....I don't know where to proceed from here. I gave them more treats so they have something to do, and more straw for warmth.
for the pecked chickens I have no blue Kote here in this town, no idea where to pick it up is there anything else I can put on their combs to stop the others from going after the brightly coloured blood. ohh and those black tips Dh was talking about, its dried blood.
please give me some ideas on what to do, there is no where else I can stick the chickens that got pecked. I would say almost half of them have been pecked but not as badly as a about 3 or 4 of them.
Ema
So its not overcrowding that is causing them to peck at one another....I don't know where to proceed from here. I gave them more treats so they have something to do, and more straw for warmth.
for the pecked chickens I have no blue Kote here in this town, no idea where to pick it up is there anything else I can put on their combs to stop the others from going after the brightly coloured blood. ohh and those black tips Dh was talking about, its dried blood.
please give me some ideas on what to do, there is no where else I can stick the chickens that got pecked. I would say almost half of them have been pecked but not as badly as a about 3 or 4 of them.
Ema