Other hens pecking my hen around the vent

[rosemarythyme]

Mine get tremendous entertainment from pecking at suspended mealworm cake (suet cake that does NOT have the lard) & a cabbage ball, I like this one as the cabbage lasts a bit longer & doesn't end up on floor.

Treats are a very easy way to keep birds distracted, but my entertainment suggestions aren't food/treats, and that's deliberate. I try to minimize treats to ensure the birds are mainly eating their nutritionally balanced feed instead of snacks. Also clutter is a long term solution and can be rearranged to provide birds with something "new" to explore.

 

[mcycle12]

All feels well with the crop - does that mean her crop was empty/flat this morning before she had anything to eat/drink?

The crop is flat/empty in the morning.

 

[mcycle12]

Day three of quarantine: She jumped down from the roost and greeted me with the normal sounding squeaks. This hen has something wrong with her vocal cords and instead of clucking, makes a high pitched squeak. She ate some of the meal worm treats, but still will not eat regular food. She won't touch cooked egg yokes either. Her butt feathers are growing....slowly. How long will it take for her before the feathers are presentable and not a worthy target for the other birds?

 

[mcycle12]

I do plan to take the most active, aggressive bird temporarily out of the pen when the featherless one goes back in. I really don't see a specific pecking order with the birds. Each will avoid food that the others have and the roost bar seems to have a different order every night. That is except for the one who was pecked. She seems not to be part of the group of three. When I first put them in the coop/run in August, I saw some chest bumping and other signs of pecking order being worked out, but not any more.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Day three of quarantine: She jumped down from the roost and greeted me with the normal sounding squeaks. This hen has something wrong with her vocal cords and instead of clucking, makes a high pitched squeak. She ate some of the meal worm treats, but still will not eat regular food. She won't touch cooked egg yokes either. Her but feathers are growing....slowly. How long will it take for her before the feathers are presentable and not a worthy target for the other birds?

Can you get a video of the squeaking? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

I would encourage her to eat her normal feed. A little chick starter may be good.


Look inside her beak just to make sure there's no canker or obstruction.

 

[mcycle12]

I try to give them things to do in the run. I'd empty a bin of grass from the mower when I was cutting grass. Now, I'll put some leaves I've run through the shredder in the pen every couple of days. They scratch though it endlessly and the leaves seem to absorb some of their waste. I found that putting too much of the leaves in makes it harder for them to dig out a dirt bath area. The run is small, so I need to find other things to keep them occupied that don't cut down on their ability to run around and fly here and there. I have added a roost to the run. They have not been using it, although I have picked each one up and put them on it to get them familiar with it. Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Treats are a very easy way to keep birds distracted, but my entertainment suggestions aren't food/treats, and that's deliberate. I try to minimize treats to ensure the birds are mainly eating their nutritionally balanced feed instead of snacks. Also clutter is a long term solution and can be rearranged to provide birds with something "new" to explore.

Yes actually your setup is different, I have a larger indoor coop area, I don't put the mealworm or any feed outside, it draws rodents. I don't offer the mealworm cake all of the time, usually during molt. The rest of the year it's mostly veggies. Something to do for them is a good idea though.

 

[mcycle12]

Can you get a video of the squeaking? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

I would encourage her to eat her normal feed. A little chick starter may be good.


Look inside her beak just to make sure there's no canker or obstruction.

Video of the squeaking is attached.

I have been hand feeding her the regular food. She won't eat it from the feeder or the floor of the cage. The only thing she will eat by herself is when I put a few of the meal worm treats down.

There doesn't seem to be any obstruction. She has had this voice since she was young.

 

[aart]

Video of the squeaking is attached.

That is a typical vocalization.

 

[mcycle12]

That is a typical vocalization.

Thanks! It sure sounds different than the other three that I have. New chicken owner here.