Must debeak today. Help

Corn can deplete protein levels. Try adding sunflower and safflower seeds to their diet. I also give mine small sized dog food in winter. Perhaps a Flock Block that would help prevent the bordum that often starts that behavior. Try putting down wild bird seed and covering with hay. They will keep busy trying to dig out the food. As far as beak trimming, you can get a rechargeable dremel tool with a grinding stone on it for like $20 at Wal. Very helpful and pretty safe for both of you. The friction also helps prevent bleeding..... Best Wishes

 

Try this instead:

http://www.randallburkey.com/PIN-LESS-PEEPERS-100-PKG/productinfo/10097/

Here's some reasons for picking:

http://www.plamondon.com/faq_healthcare.html

 

Like some others have said, I'd try giving them more to keep them busy and up their protein before I'd resort to the beak trimming.

 

You really don't have to debeak. Add protein to their diet and please don't add anymore salt to their water. Thats not recommended. A balanced chicken food should contain all the salt they need.

Some night this week roast a chicken (not one of your own) and have it for dinner. After dinner take all the meat off the bones and throw the carcass to the chickens. it has lots of protein and tthe activity of stripping it clean will keep them busy and not picking on each other.

Another good activity to prevent picking is to add a cabbage to the coop so they can peck at it or if you can still find a pumpkin or squash cut that in half and let them go at it.

 

The cabbage works wonders! I hang a huge head from the coop ceiling and let it hang like a pinata. It keeps mine happy, hey peck at it and not each other. when they try to peck at it, it moves around, making them peck it even more. depending on how many you have you might want to try several cabbage pinatas.

I had some leghorns that started to vent peck a broiler very badly. I put one of these up and they left him alone.

 

I was wondering how your problem cannibilism is?

I have been having issuses with my chickens as well. I hate to say it but I'm ready to debeak them. They are literally eating each other to death. The dog got in their pen on christmas and took 2 of my birds- but left and injured one that I didn't spot. The next day my hens had feasted on her. Since then they have killed 4 others and I have 4 more that are penned seperatly due to injuries. I've tried everything else - so they either go into the freezer or I need to try and debeak them. However- I've never done any debeaking before and was hoping someone would have some tips.

AND - my biggest question is- Will Debeaking Solve the problem?

Thanks!
Kathy

 

I have a pecker too that I'm at my wits ends with (no cannibalism, but feathers being pulled). Am thinking of trying the cat food idea (cat food was mentioned elsewhere, and I figure it's smaller??). How do you know how much cat food to add? I have seven hens that are about 10 mos old.

Sorry, don't mean to hijack this thread.....