I think I found a miracle cure for feather picking

[pegm]

Thank you so much in advance for the peepers, I'm hoping they do the trick. Thanks also for all your and others wonderful advice.

 

[azygous]

I just mailed the peepers today. You should get them Monday.

When I install peepers, it's so disorienting to the chicken that I just sit and hold them for ten minutes while they get used to their blocked vision. This also prevents them from trying to scratch them off. Then I put them down and distract them with some tasty treat so they can get used to looking for food on the ground.

Then I take some others peepers and throw them down on the ground when I introduce the hen wearing peepers to the flock. They often try to peck the peepers off unless they are desensitized by seeing several others lying about on the ground. I've even had chickens try to attack the peeper wearer for looking different. The loose peepers on the ground work like a magic charm to prevent this. I sent you several extra for this purpose.

Leave them on the ground, maybe fifteen minutes to half an hour until everyone has adjusted, then pick them up and put them away. Meredith should adjust to them in about an hour, three max.

 

[pegm]

Thank you so very much. Do I throw the peepers on the ground before I introduce Meredith back into the flock or at the same time? Also, should I put her back in her vacation quarters for the 2 or three hours until she is used to them then move her? I will also have to see if she can get water from the nipple waterer. Anxious to give this a try.

I also think Goldie has moved up a notch in the pecking order, today I saw her peck at Grace, normal stuff, not aggressive at all. Goldie is the only one laying of the three so she's probably the oldest of that group. The Orphington is just so layed back I feel like calling her Moonchild or some such. Altho when Meredith went at her she gave as good as she got, chest bumping and talons extended. Surprised me, and pleased me that she didn't take any guff from Mer. Looking forward to Monday.

 

[azygous]

The scattered peepers on the ground can be performed at any time. The point is to familiarize the chickens to them so when they see them on Meredith, they won't think them as alien. But make sure they are still on the ground when Meredith makes her grand entrance.

As for the water issue, as long as the nipple is above her head, Mer shouldn't have trouble seeing it. The peepers block vision straight ahead, but allow for overhead and things on the ground. I really don't think she'll have a problem.

No need for Meredith to have additional confinement after getting the peepers. In fact, the distraction of reuniting with the flock will take her tiny mind off the peepers.

At first, right after Mer gets the peepers installed, she will only see them, not anything else. After about ten to thirty minutes, she will begin seeing other things, and the peepers won't be in focus any longer. It's usually a very quick adjustment.

As you install the peepers, you may notice her comb will be squished. Just fold her comb over and don't worry about it. It won't bother her. The prongs are spread open with the snap ring pliers (they work the opposite of regular pliers) and you slip them into her beak holes. It may take a couple tries to get them on. It helps if you wrap her up tightly in a towel and cover her eyes. Having someone hold her would be a big help, but I do it just fine by myself. This doesn't hurt the chicken, though it's uncomfortable at the very first.

You should see a dramatic difference in the way she relates to the rest of the flock since she will have trouble seeing them. But there are no guarantees that she won't relearn to be a bully after wearing the peepers for a few weeks. My four Sussex, all four sporting peepers, intimidate all the rest of the chickens in spite of the peepers. The whole flock is afraid of them, though the damage they inflict is minimal since they still have hampered vision.

 

[pegm]

The peepers came today and I put them on Meredith. She seemed to settle down very quickly, less than 10 minutes. I put her in the coop and threw out meal worms and she immediately focused on Goldie's butt, but took a half hearted sorta swipe at it. Threw down the worms, and they all got busy. Then put FF out because the three cleaned it up this morning, and Mer has been turning up her beak at it. They went after that, even Mer sampled it. She still wanders around and tries to peck Goldie's butt, but kinda moves her head around and can't seem to get a bead on her. Goldie is not very proactive in staying out of Mer's way, but then Goldie would move off slowly or Mer would go on to something else. She is exerting her dominance which I expected, but so far it has been fairly quite in the run. I am hoping against hope that this works. Thank you so very much for sending the peepers. They pecked at the ones on the ground for a couple of times and that was that. I just need to see her drinking out of the nipple waterer and then I will relax somewhat, I know she could revert. I hope she doesn't. Grace seems to be on the bottom of the pecking order, but when Mer swipes at her she gets out of the way, unlike Goldie (bird brain I guess.)

 

[azygous]

Sounds like you have a guarded truce going on. But remember what a circus it was before you began this complex exercise.

The peepers will either slow Meredith down until she figures out a work-around, or she'll find it enough trouble resuming her bad habit that she'll eventually give up.

I'm hoping this is the case with my four Sussex. I removed all their peepers this morning. They've been wearing them all summer because they were determined to shave feathers from almost everyone in the flock. During this time, none of them has figured out how to pursue their habit wearing the peepers, so I figured I'd see how they do without them. They'll resume feather picking in a week or so if they're going to.

It's maddening to watch a chicken submit to being plucked bald, but it's part of the pecking order thing. Kind of like hazing in a fraternity. My veteran picker Flo will pick feathers from everyone equal or beneath her in rank, but will absolutely steer clear of those above her. She probably will wear peepers all her life. This may be also be the case with Meredith. Time will tell, but I would leave them on her for the next three or four months, or until it's obvious they aren't a deterrent.

That's when you may want to consider Bumpa-bits.

 

[pegm]

Thanks for all your advice. All was still well this evening, I had to put Meredith into the new coop as she did not go to roost there. It wasn't there when she went on vacation. But she settled right in. Good luck with your Sussex.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Just a heads up... if you end up having to get some bumpa-bits, your California sun might be too much for them. Is Lakeport is southern Ca? I got some of them and put them on several girls and they wore them through the summer. Now everyone is molting and I'm hoping the picking habit has died... anyway, the ones that hadn't broken off already, I removed from the hens which were left. Each and every one of them broke right in half when I took them off and believe me, I didn't pull on them very hard. This Nevada sun is the strongest I have ever experienced, which when you think about it sounds kind of dumb. I mean we all share the same sun, right? Why is it so much more intense here then? It can burn through a tarp in a matter of a couple of months!

 

[azygous]

I can answer that question about the differences in solar radiation. It has to do with dry air vs humid air, and elevation gain will also get you more intense solar radiation. The lower elevations and moister air filter out more of the sun's damaging rays. We folk at high altitude and very dry climates, such as deserts, have much more damage to solar radiation. (You should have a word with my dermatologist who has removed all three types of skin cancer from my hide over the past two decades.)

I have had both Bumpa-bits and pinless peepers break during long term use. I hadn't associated it with the plastic rotting from the sun, but everything else here rots very quickly from the sun, including me.

 

[pegm]

Thanks for the info, we are in Northern California about 3 hours north east of the bay area, up in the mountains 30 miles from anything. We do get intense sun during the summer, and we have the cleanest air in California, and rated 10th in the nation. So not much in the way of filters. I don't think the bumpa bits can be used with nipple waterers, I still have not seen her drink, but I have been gone half the day. She seems OK tho. And Goldie still has all her feathers (so far).