Only cure Decaputation? Cure for picking.

[reverend]

Have 12 week old chickens and have over the last couple of weeks had several of the rumps pecked bloody even to the point of death of 1. The rest I have caught in time and treated with pine tar and they seem to be doing fine. Today had 2 pecked bloody and the only chicken with blood on face area was a rooster. (White Rock) Do they tend to do this? I have put him in his own jail cell....How long do I need to keep him separated or is this a habit that will lead to the dumplin pot?

 

[Bunnylady]

Chickens like the taste of blood. Some also seem to like to eat pinfeathers. I have usually isolated the victim, but some people have reported success with using Bluekote to disguise the damaged area (chickens are attracted to the color red). I haven't had a lot of experience with this, but if the bird that is getting picked on is allowed to grow enough feathers to cover the bare areas, the picking usually doesn't start back up when the birds are put back together.

 

[ll]

Maybe they are overcrowded?
You can also try pinless peepers:
google link here

 

[Lupa Duende]

It is horrid when they peck one another bloody, isn't it?

I isolate the bleeding ones in a cat carrier i the roosting area ..., with food and water and treats..., bung on neosporin three times daily and open the carrier within a week.

As the chook is still roosting near her comrades i avoid re-integration problems

 

[Michael Apple]

I know the pickers don't like the taste of the pepper in the anti-pick lotion. It has healing properties too. I used Blue Kote once and it attracted the pickers to the dark blue spot. The stuff is like dye and takes a long time to disappear. Don't get any on a nice, white shirt.