Quick - need quick anti-pick remedy for tonight

[BeardedChick]

My Polish roo always gets his head feathers pulled. He actually sort of seems to like having the girls "groom" his topknot... Anyway, tonight he's got crusted blood on his head, I presume from too much picking.

Is there something I can use just for tonight to deter the picking until I can get to the feed store? I have icthammol on hand. Would that work?

Might have pine tar but it's likey frozen in the horse shed.

Thanks!

 

[junebug7334]

I would remove him for the night.......small dog crate or somthing.

 

[swtangel321]

like junebug said, keep him by his self for the night and get what you need tomrrow.... He will be ok for the night !!

 

[iajewel]

I agree about removing him.. if you have to keep him in there, you could make a hood. Im also a falconer, and so the first place my mind went was to the hood.. you can pry make a simple hood out of an old sock? something that when they peck him would protect him. pine tar will not stop them and pry make the hens sick.
bet he has a head ache worse than a frat boy on Sunday morning.

 

[BeardedChick]

Thanks - husband may be able to make it to the feedstore before they close. He has about 5 minutes.

They don't have anti-pick but they do have blue kote...

I will remove him if that fails. They have this huge roost but they all sleep crammed together just like they did when they were chicks. If he didn't have to be in the middle of the hen sandwich, I think he wouldn't get picked on so much...

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Sorry, but my experience has shown me otherwise. Pine tar not only stopped the pecking, it did so after one treatment.
The chickens don't really ingest it. They run around trying to get it off of their beaks as fast as possible. Before using it I did a search here on BYC and found that others had used it with great success as well.

 

[BeardedChick]

Well, DH got blue cote for tomorrow. I had dabbed the smallest bit of icthammol on it for tonight, if nothing else to soothe his skin. Pew!

And I moved him over to the less populated roost.

 

[swtangel321]

Quote:
Dont yah hate that !! If only we could talk to them and explain that if he moved to one of the other roosts that he wouldnt get pecked in the head, it would so much easier !!

 

[bubbazmommy]

where do you buy pine tar?

 

[BeardedChick]

They use it as hoof packing for horses - so usually any feed/tack type farm stores would have it.