Hi i have a Buff Orpington hen who is on the small side and today i noticed she didn't have many feathers on the top of her head and the other hens are pecking at her. she usually stays to herself and isn't outside with the other hens even when we let them free range. What can i do to stop the pecking?
This morning I tried a recommendation I've seen on here quite often, Peepers/Poultry Blinders. They only came by the 100ct. from National Band & Tag Co. but were only $13, so I figured I'll share with my neighbor & still have ample for the next 5 yrs. or so. I was VERY surprised at how easy they were to put on. They were the pinless variety. The recommendation was to warm them in a cup of hot water. So I fired up the tea kettle & had the boys bring in the hens I was having trouble with one by one. I was amazed how perfectly the hot water warmed the peepers to where they were pliable enough to put on with just my fingers, no tools. The boys held their hen & I pinched them right on. Within a minute the peepers had cooled right off to where they were firmly in place. So we shall see how this goes long term, but for today - it was a peaceful day in the chicken yard. Everybody seemed to be taking the time to look at each other & checking each other out WITHOUT the pecking & brawling. My hope is to do this for a couple weeks to a month & then remove the peepers once everyone has worked through their hypersensitivity with the new kids on the block.
I started using the pinless peepers this winter because I was having picking problems in my flock. I've been using the peepers for about a month now and have seen a radical improvement in the problem picking. Of all the products on the market for picking (and I have used them all at different points in time) this is the most effective and easy to use. Good luck.
