Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[DesertChic]

So my assorted order from McMurray is 5 weeks now. It included two turkens. Last Friday I moved them outside to their welded wire chicken yard. Using an igloo dog house with the red light in it for a temporary coop. Although they were a bit shocked at first (it is cool here now), they seemed to adjust well. However, after having no problem at all with pecking I found my turkens today being pecked mostly at the top of their shoulders where the feather line starts. The two that I think are white leghorns were the ones I I saw pecking. So I brought the two back inside to my brooder that I haven't taken down. They do not seem to be pecking each other. I think they are either a hen and a roo or two roos (mostly due to rooster posturing). I will keep them separated until healed up though I am now concerned how they will do when put back. Anyone with mixed flocks have opinions? Giving them some boiled egg for extra protein, anything else to do for the wounds? They are not actively bleeding, look more like bruising plus missing feathers.

Since the voices of experience here have covered the feather picking issue very well, I'll only add that using Desitin...yes, the diaper ointment....not only facilitates faster healing, but in my experience other chickens don't like the taste and tend not to peck that area. I've had to use it a few times on my frizzles as several of my other birds seem determined to peck those frizzled feathers out. Just don't rub it in all the way. The white ointment appearance seems to be part of the deterrent as well.

 

[HTChick]

I will remove them permanently if I have to though it would be a shame as they look to be both hens and this flock is mainly for laying so would be sad to remove two leghorns! I know they don't have the best disposition, tried to tame them along with the others but they resisted it strongly. But they didn't peck till they went outside.

Has anyone used the pinless peepers?

 

[HTChick]

Since the voices of experience here have covered the feather picking issue very well, I'll only add that using Desitin...yes, the diaper ointment....not only facilitates faster healing, but in my experience other chickens don't like the taste and tend not to peck that area. I've had to use it a few times on my frizzles as several of my other birds seem determined to peck those frizzled feathers out. Just don't rub it in all the way. The white ointment appearance seems to be part of the deterrent as well.

Oh I bet that would work, thank you.

 

[hellbender]

Personally I would wring the necks of the Leghorns but to some, that might be considered a bit drastic.

Just kidding!!!!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Since the voices of experience here have covered the feather picking issue very well, I'll only add that using Desitin...yes, the diaper ointment....not only facilitates faster healing, but in my experience other chickens don't like the taste and tend not to peck that area. I've had to use it a few times on my frizzles as several of my other birds seem determined to peck those frizzled feathers out. Just don't rub it in all the way. The white ointment appearance seems to be part of the deterrent as well.

If you have access to a feed store or Tractor Supply, there's a No Pick lotion (made by the same folks as rooster booster, I think) that works well - it's purple (so disguises the redness), accelerates healing, and tastes bad to pecking chicks. I use that on wounds on my chickens/chicks... YMMV.

- Ant Farm

 

[Kev]

If you have access to a feed store or Tractor Supply, there's a No Pick lotion (made by the same folks as rooster booster, I think) that works well - it's purple (so disguises the redness), accelerates healing, and tastes bad to pecking chicks. I use that on wounds on my chickens/chicks... YMMV.

- Ant Farm

Hey yes, I have used that very same thing before. It works great but geeze, do not get any on yourself.. colorful hands for a couple days.... did not realize TSC has it- feed store has not carried it for years, had completely forgotten about it until you brought it up.

 

[chickengr]

I will remove them permanently if I have to though it would be a shame as they look to be both hens and this flock is mainly for laying so would be sad to remove two leghorns! I know they don't have the best disposition, tried to tame them along with the others but they resisted it strongly. But they didn't peck till they went outside.

you don't need to remove them permanently. if they return after 2-3 days they will be new and chased by the others. that way they will establish new pecking order.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Hey yes, I have used that very same thing before. It works great but geeze, do not get any on yourself.. colorful hands for a couple days.... did not realize TSC has it- feed store has not carried it for years, had completely forgotten about it until you brought it up.

Well, I got mine from the local feed store, but my Tractor Supply carries it - though it's not on their online store (just checked). My TSC also carries Blu-Kote (also not on online store), which a lot of folks on BYC swear by. Interesting - I looked on Amazon, and Blu-Kote is rated more highly as working better (for whatever that's worth) - you never know whether that has to do with expectations or not, as some of the negative comments about Pick-No-More sound like severe pecking issues that wouldn't be fixed by anything other than separating birds....

I bought the Pick-No-More because my local feed store (closer than TSC) doesn't carry Blu-Kote and I had a little NN pullet with a big slash on her shoulder (they were piling up in a dust bath, and I think it was a claw/toenail). She healed very fast - but I've noticed that scary-looking stuff heals pretty fast on my NNs regardless of what I do. But might have bought Blu-Kote instead had I had the choice, since I had heard more about it here... @HTChick, you are in West Texas - you might find either at your TSC if you have one nearby. I think that stuff is all grouped together in a livestock health section now (instead of the chicken section).

- Ant Farm

 

[Kev]

I can believe those reviews.

There is feather picking due to environmental causes- crowding, stress etc. and there is genetic based feather picking.... this is the hard one to cure and things like Pick No More does not deter them too much because the urge is instinctual. The former is easy- remove the source of stress and the picking either completely or largely disappears. For the latter... they need either to be free ranged or given quite a lot of stimulus to keep their eyes off other bird's feathers.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I can believe those reviews.

There is feather picking due to environmental causes- crowding, stress etc. and there is genetic based feather picking.... this is the hard one to cure and things like Pick No More does not deter them too much because the urge is instinctual. The former is easy- remove the source of stress and the picking either completely or largely disappears. For the latter... they need either to be free ranged or given quite a lot of stimulus to keep their eyes off other bird's feathers.

HTChick, this is a good point - a product like this may not solve your problem. I tend to use it with the goal of keeping otherwise non-picking birds from noticing a wound that's red and going after it. I'm not sure I'd trust it entirely with birds who were really aggressive to start with. You could try it if you have the opportunity to watch them closely and can see if it deters them and intervene if not (not sure if you work away from the home or not, but for me that's usually on a weekend day)... I like the suggestion of removing the pickers, but am fortunate not to have had to do that myself (yet)...

- Ant Farm