Hello all, My name is Tom, I'm from Mass. I got my 1st flock in april, and everythihng was great, well until last week. One of my 6 Golden Comets was being bullied, extremely bullied, not by only one hen either, multiple chix were pecking at her. So i seperated her until she healed then reintroduced her to the flock while out roaming. They immediately chesed her off, and gave her a few good pecks to the head in the process, so I spoke with a local Chix expert and she told me that the best thing would be to give up the weak chix for adoption. I found a home for her, and she will be leaving tomorrow. Kids ar upset, me too... she was a good little layer. please tell me that this was the right thing. Tom (newbie).
Hello, Tom, welcome to BYC. You probably did the right thing by finding her a new home. Chicken society can really be cruel. Frequently break downs in the pecking order occur in the winter when out of necessity the birds are kept in the coop.
Hello Welcome To BYC and Happy Holidays! Sorry about your girl, placing her was probably the best thing for her. Winter is a hard time to deal with pecking problems when they have to be in the coop so much longer than normal and tempers get short.
Thanks for the reply. Yeah thats what everyone has been telling me. The term "all cooped up" rings true. Hahaha. Tell me. I have some diametacous earth, should i be using it in the winter months. And if so, what do i do with it exactly? I have a store bought coop and i attached a 4x 8 run which i have covered with clear plastic except for one small side for ventilation. Do i spread it around in the run and the coop? What about the nesting boxes? I have no idea what to do with the stuff. How much? And where? Thanks for the help. Tom
Unless you are having a pest problem (not likely in winter) I wouldn't use DE. Chickens have delicate respiratory systems and DE will cause them distress. I use it in summer directly on ant colonies, and along outside doorways to keep pests out.
