Pinless peeprs

[Chickenman MAN]

Soak the peepers in very hot water to soften. Practice flexing them. We don't feel a tool is necessary. Have a partner to hold chicken firmly. Don't be daunted by the fact that the chicken will react by trying to take them off for several minutes. They get used to them.....this hen wore them for about 6 months, after which I took them off, and her bullying behavior never did resume.

Did you take them off in between?

 

[SueT]

Did you take them off in between?

I did not. But they got kind of funky looking in the nares, it looked like debris building up. That's why I removed them. I was surprised that she was reformed. She was still top hen, but she didn't hurt the others any more.

 

[azygous]

It varies according to the urgency of unwanted behavior. But I try to put at least six to eight weeks in between re-installing the device.

 

[azygous]

Peepers do work to stop the behavior and in many cases, the behavior won't resume after removal.....

However. There are hard cases where the feather picking and bullying seem to be hard wired into the brain, and I've had chickens resume their bad behavior while wearing the peepers.

If you're interested in various methods of trying to control this awful behavior, here is a gonzo thread covering my and other people's attempts to deal with this issue. Believe me, it's very complex. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking.697052/

 

[Chickenman MAN]

Thanb

Peepers do work to stop the behavior and in many cases, the behavior won't resume after removal.....

However. There are hard cases where the feather picking and bullying seem to be hard wired into the brain, and I've had chickens resume their bad behavior while wearing the peepers.

If you're interested in various methods of trying to control this awful behavior, here is a gonzo thread covering my and other people's attempts to deal with this issue. Believe me, it's very complex. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking.697052/

Thanks every so much to everyone... got it on now... gotta wait to see what happens

 

[Cee]

Thanb

Thanks every so much to everyone... got it on now... gotta wait to see what happens

A word of caution. I was getting my hen out of a corner and she freaked out as usual, flapping wings, screeching, flung her head up and back into the side of the poop board and peepers went flying off.
I then realized that they had taken a tiny piece of her upper beak completely off! It healed up fine but her nars are smooshed down a bit now. She can breathe fine. Just be careful when handling a flighty brained bird.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

A word of caution. I was getting my hen out of a corner and she freaked out as usual, flapping wings, screeching, flung her head up and back into the side of the poop board and peepers went flying off.
I then realized that they had taken a tiny piece of her upper beak completely off! It healed up fine but her nars are smooshed down a bit now. She can breathe fine. Just be careful when handling a flighty brained bird.

Thanks for the words of warning! Luckily the hen we put the peeper on is the calmest of the lot and the sweetest (even though she is a bully. She broke her nail trying to scratch it off but it isn't bad and has stopped bleeding.

 

[azygous]

This is for anyone reading this who has a hen that freaks out after first experiencing peepers. I find it greatly accelerates adjustment to provide some treats, like meal worms that move, on the ground. She will focus on those instead of the thing on her face and it causes her vision to normalize quickly.

 

[Chickenman MAN]

This is for anyone reading this who has a hen that freaks out after first experiencing peepers. I find it greatly accelerates adjustment to provide some treats, like meal worms that move, on the ground. She will focus on those instead of the thing on her face and it causes her vision to normalize quickly.

I will most certainly be treating her! (sweet corn is a fav)

 

[Cee]

This is for anyone reading this who has a hen that freaks out after first experiencing peepers. I find it greatly accelerates adjustment to provide some treats, like meal worms that move, on the ground. She will focus on those instead of the thing on her face and it causes her vision to normalize quickly.

What a great idea!