I think I found a miracle cure for feather picking

[pegm]

Errrrrrrrr, well...........................I certainly hope so!!!

They are now pecking around together, so the bond is growing.

 

[pegm]

I decided since the new hen is an EE, and Easter is all about our Lord Jesus and his resurrection, her new name is Grace.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Update on my chicken pickin' problem. I built a very small run, maybe 7X7 out of a portable dog run, borrowed a pretty small dog crate from a friend. Built a small roost to go inside. Covered the run with deer fencing, built a small nest box out of a wooden crate, and went and got the other EE. Put her and Goldie in the new digs, and this hen was almost as bad as the reds. Took her back Sat morning and got the other EE he had, a slightly younger bird. She and Goldie seem to get along fine, no squabbles. They have been together 2 days now. I will leave them together for 3 more days as suggested, then swap out the dominant red and add the two EE to the main coop/run. Should I do that at night? Add the two EE to the roost after dark and take Rosie out and stuff her in the dog crate in the makeshift run? The funny thing is this crate is so small that the door isn't much bigger than the EE's. But come dusk, they jump right up and stuff themselves into it. I put it on the ground after I close it because I don't want it to fall off the nest box I have it sitting on during the night for any reason. Plus, I think the new EE is laying, I got a light pinkish egg today. Goldie lays very light olive eggs . So far so good.

Your very small run sounds perfect!

If it were me, and given the timid nature of the EEs, I'd likely give them more than a week to give them a really tight bond and build up a little more confidence.

Question... can the RIRs see the two EE girls in their pen? Hopefully you have it moved far enough away (or you can move it later) that when you put the RIR in there, she and her partner in crime shouldn't be able to see each other at all, otherwise, the bond between them will not break.

Very good idea, Azygous, about not letting the other girl back into the coop until its almost dark.

This is a great experiment. I hope you keep posting your results.

As far as the danger in messing with the pecking order, I think that the one girl has a nature that is dominant enough that she won't get hurt when you put her back and she will likely be the top of the pecking order again but at least her relationship with the other RIR will be disrupted to the point that they hopefully will not re-bond in such a terrible way and your pecking order will be peaceful. Due to that very timid nature in your EEs, I'm certain that they will remain at the bottom of the pecking order just hopefully not being beat up and at least they will have each other for company.

 

[pegm]

No there is a greenhouse between the two pens, so they cannot see each other, just hear. Another problem arose today. I came home and found an egg had been eaten. Meredith's beak was clean, but Rosie, the dominant hen's beak had PDZ stuck to it. So I am assuming that Rosie ate Meredith's egg, as Rosie then thrashed around in the coop which they have never laid in, and laid her egg. She has been doing this for a few days, but this is the first time she has laid an egg in there, it has PDZ in it. I have nest boxes in the run which they use. I think she is getting broody, but winter is coming on so her bio clock is screwed up. Anyway, if Rosie eats another egg, she is history, and the dominant hen problem is solved. Need to find someone who wants chicken for dinner. I've butchered them before, I'd rather go to the Safeway. I never knew they could smell that bad. Ugh.So I am wondering if Rosie goes the way of egg eating chickens, I would like to replace her with a BO or Maran. Wonder what kind of ruckus would be raised if I also introduced a new hen to the mix when I put Goldie and Grace in the main coop/run, take Meredith out for the day, let her back in at dusk, introduce new hen, providing I can even find one. My, this is getting complicated. But a challenge none the less.

 

[azygous]

Don't jump to the conclusion you have an egg eater. Eggs accidentally get broken after they're laid, perhaps due to a thin shell (do you recall if the remains had a soft shell?) and the broken egg naturally gets eaten by whichever hen notices it.

But if you do decide to re-home/butcher the culprit and introduce a new hen, it would be an opportune time to do it. As long as it's the point to disrupt the pecking order, may as well go all the way with it.

However, understand that Goldie and Grace, being a bonded pair, may team up against the newcomer unless you make a point of forcing her to bond with Goldie and Grace in the same manner that you provided the structure for the two of them to bond. What you're doing, for all intents, is to create an artificial "brooder" environment where the chickens bond with one another due to being in a confined space with no way to get away from each other. If you handle introducing the newcomer in that fashion, there will be more chance for a good relationship.

 

[Lacy Blues]

What do you mean by "thrashing" around in the coop? If this is the picture that its creating in my mind, it would be no wonder the egg got broken.

Do you have lots of free choice oyster shell for them?

... and a far as that horrible smell when they are butchered, if you were to ferment their feed, that would go away completely. There is a thread on BYC that talks about fermenting feed. If you only have 3 or 4 birds, it would be so very easy for you to do. It makes them smell so much better - even before butchering because it is so much healthier for them. I'll go find the link and come back with it.

Here's the link.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds/9640#post_12148810

 

[pegm]

No, I want to see if it happens again. She goes into the totally enclosed coop where they sleep that has a nest box attached to it instead of the nest boxes I have in the run. I hear her banging around ( I said thrashing, banging around is more like it) and scratching in there like crazy. I can't see thru it so I can only guess she is trying to "re-arrange" the PDZ into a nest. Today is the first time she has actually laid in there, she has laid in the regular nests. I do have ceramic eggs in the nests in the run, she might have gotten a little enthusiastic shaping the nest and broke the egg. We shall see if this happens again. I throw in oyster shell frequently, along with grit. Their shells are good and tough. Actually I was free feeding them the grit and they were eating it like candy. So now I just throw a couple of handfuls in every couple of days, plus my floor is natural sand/dirt so I'm sure they pick up "grit" just from scratching around trying to get to China.

As for fermenting the feed, we used to do this for our hogs. We'd empty a 50# bag of rolled barley into a big plastic trash barrel, add water, stand in sun a couple of days and we sure had happy hogs. They also got the culls from the local farmers, especially zucchini. Didn't have to strain the feed for the hogs, they eat anything. Made good pork. Yum. When we raised the hogs is when we raised our meat chickens and a beef. That's when I butchered them. Lordy lordy, what a rude awakening THAT was. I am also the world's slowest chicken plucker. Hey, I got a hen that plucks chickens pretty good.....hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Anyway thank you guys for all your good advise, I truly appreciate it. Goldy and Grace are bonding really well, they pretty much stay together. I'm really tickled about the way they are getting along.

 

[pegm]

OK, a little advice this am if possible. Finally heard from the lady I got my pullets from. She says she may have a buff orphington that she would trade me for my aggressive hen. If I do this today as she will be home today, do I put the Orphington in with Goldie and Grace in the big coop run as I will have separated the less aggressive rir (Meredith) out and put her where Goldie and her new BFF are now, or put the buff in with Meredith for the rest of the day and put them both in at nearly dark? I am inclined to put the buff in with Goldie and Grace for her to get her bearings, but then again if I put her in the roost at dark, she wouldn't move from there anyway.

 

[azygous]

Your instincts are good. Put the BO in with Goldie and Grace. Hold off introducing the remaining RIR to the trio for another week, giving them time to adjust before having to cope with an aggressive hen. Grace may recognize the BO from before, so it shouldn't be a tricky adjustment. But give them a week to settle their pecking order.

You're almost there Peg! Soon a happy flock!

 

[pegm]

Well, the three Goldie, Grace and ?? are getting along famously, couple of noggin pecks by the orph, and that was that. The lady told me she came from the same group as Meredith. But I don't know, she is not that mature. Goldie has already taught the other 2 how to use the nipple waterer. Meredith has been very calm about being out of her normal environment. I keep re-assuring her all will be well. Gave her some meal worms, she was a happy hen. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all will be fine.