PECKING HELP FOR A NEWBIE please

[cthrash1]

Put pine tar on the injuries...The other chickens won't go near them they smell/taste so bad. It's so funny to watch them shake their heads and run from the medicated ones. I haven't had any of my injured ones picked on since I treated them and put them back with the rest.

 

[broadwing]

re: pine tar...

The anti-pick stuff I have has pine tar in it, and they certainly didn't like tasting themselves when they tried to clean it off, but I don't know if it's detracting the other(s) from picking her/them. I was away for most of this weekend, so I didn't have much time to observe, but they did get to go out both yesterday and today, and got some watermelon to work on while I was gone.

Will have more time to observe this week....

 

[PoultryPedia]

Also scattering grass clippings (and scratch feed, if they're old enough) for them to run around eating can help them be less bored and less likely to pick at each other.

 

[broadwing]

Yep, we do that too: we don't bag the grass when we cut it, and they run around like kids at an Easter egg hunt to find the best clover bits...

If it weren't for the cats that run loose through the neighborhood, I would consider letting them roam all day in the yard while I'm at work. Recently I haven't seen the cats as much but you never know, and I don't want to come home to find the remains of a chook on my patio. That and I wouldn't have any hope of getting the holes in the grass filled in if they were unsupervised all day. Hard enough keeping ahead of the chicken craters as it is....

 

[PoultryPedia]

Quote:
Do you have a rooster? Sometimes a rooster is too rough in breeding some of the hens and will pull out the feathers on their backs and make them sore.
Quote:
I have sometimes have had 1 or 2 chickens get mites while the ones right around them didn't (I have one roo that seems to get mites attracted to him every year).
I'd check for mites. Look for little white crusty mite poop just below your chickens' vents.
Best!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I would try hot pick on the chickens with no feathers.

 

[broadwing]

hmm...hadn't considered mites, but I guess it's possible. I was also under the impression that all would have them if one did. But I've also *watched* the #1 hen sneak up behind the others and yank a couple of feathers out of their butts, so maybe it could be both.

Have long been considering diatomaceous earth sprinkled in their dust craters for such an occasion. Have heard that it can cause health issues internally for the same reason it kills bugs externally (sharp micro-edges) so haven't looked real hard for it. Any thoughts on that?

Also, if it's mites, can I use the mite spray I have already (Four Paws brand)? It's intended for cage birds, but my vet also recommends it for raptors. Just wasn't sure if using it on egg-layers would be a problem.

This is definitely not on their backs, pretty much all on their butts (had roosters when we had chooks as a kid, and I know what roo damage looks like).

 

[Mattake2]

BLU-KOTE is very effective for what my original post is dealing with. It's kinda like painting a vehicle part. I've done both so lemme tell ya that this stuff is unforgiving! Put it where you want it...when you want it... & it'll DO THE TRICK!