Thanks everyone! I hadn't occurred to me that they could be used on just the problem peckers; that's a good idea. My birds arrived yesterday, and I discovered two of them have bits, and one doesn't. They are in the house for now, so I can watch for any illness or aggression. So far, there has been little pecking, and they are more calm than I was expecting from reading the forum. They do the "popcorn" thing, of course, when I open the pen, but otherwise will let me get quite close before panicking. Hopefully, the aggression is calmed somewhat because there are just three of them, and the pen is 3' x 2' x 6'. It also helps that it's all cocks, so no mating/territory aggression yet. BTW, do they remain in "covey mode" if no hens are present, or will seasonal changes occur regardless of females?
My ignorance is showing, but one of my concerns about the bits is an increased chance of infection, particularly in the nares, but also the mouth. Does that happen, and if so, what should I look for? And also, do the bits limit the size of food they can ingest? I have crumbles right now, which seems to be okay so far, but do the bits ever interfere with their eating? Anyway, thanks for all the great input, and I will just leave them as they are, until I get a feel for their "normal" (assuming what I'm seeing now is abnormal, perhaps because of all the sudden changes?) behavior and aggression levels. Then I can decide on a case-by-case basis, especially after females enter the equation.
Again, thanks to all, and do have a lovely day!
AdL
