New to chooks!

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Pippa154

Pippa154

Hatching
5 Years
Jul 19, 2014
9
1
7
Loose, UK
Hi all, I have two chickens (bought for my birthday by my husband). They are great, but today (after a huge thunderstorm last night) one has started to peck at the other. I think this must have been going on through the night as they were fine yesterday but today one of them has quite a large sore on her back and feathers missing. It's quite distressing, although she doesn't seem to be in any pain. I have bathed it with salt water a couple of times today and she is eating and drinking with no problem. I've just ordered some stuff to spray on her, I think it was called 'Violet...' something.

Another issue I have is that they both sleep in their nesting boxes - is this normal or would they usually perch to sleep?

I've enjoyed reading lots of posts on this forum so have finally decided to join.

Pippa.
 
Alright
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great to have you joining the BYC flock
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BYC has a very useful learning center
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Well how old are your chickens ??? And no your lady's should not be sleeping in their nesting box's you might think about blocking off the boxes in the evening so they do not sleep in there and place them on the roosting bar till they get the idea ....


The spray is a good idea ...

For some fast and healthy feather growth try a hard boiled egg a couple of times a week .....
 
Okay, great, I'm a complete novice so any advice is gratefully receive. I'll try putting them on their roosting bars and will definitely give them the boiled eggs. Thanks.
 
Welcome to BYC!! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

You did the right thing with washing the hurt chicken. If she is still bloody or has a visible bald spot, cover it as this will only encourage more pecking. Also, the best ways to prevent pecking and bullying is to make sure they aren't bored. Give them hanging treats, dirt, leaves, toys, lots of room to run, etc.

Chickens shouldn't be sleeping in the nests. Make sure the nests aren't higher than the roosts as chickens will roost on whatever is highest. Also, consider putting fake eggs in the nest and hanging curtains.

Be sure to also check out our learning center.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
Glad you joined!!
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Yes, use some Blu-kote on the wounds so the other bird won't bother the sore. It is a purple colored antibiotic/antifungal med that works great. I use it all the time. Use gloves when applying it as it stains badly. If you are using this on a white chicken, you might want to pour or spray it into a ceramic bowl and apply it with a Q-tip so it doesn't get all over the feathers.

You will need to block off your nest boxes at night and get them up on the roost bars. Once they know to sleep on the bars, you won't have to block off the boxes at night. Just make sure to unblock them first thing in the morning in case they need to lay.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!
 

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