We bought 16 adult chickens and 2 roosters about 4 weeks ago. The roosters fight terribly, so one remains in a cage. I'm trying to sell him. One of the chickens has (had when we got it) a sore on her back from being pecked. I've have her in a cage so it will heal up but put her in to roost after the others are already in the coop. This has been working fine, except this morning, I was a little late and they had pecked the scab off her.
Question 1: Is there any homemade remedy or household product that will help this heal faster? Can I put Neosporin Oint on it. I did put Vaseline on it once, but it rubbed off pretty fast. Either than or she ate it off??!! What about iodine or peroxide to clean? It is healing but really looks awful now w/o the scab.
Question 2: Or, is there some common thing I might already have to put on her so they won't peck at it? Someone said Vicks Vapor Rub, but then I read this wasn't good for them. The farm stores around here do not have that Rooster Booster Pick No More lotion. I was going to try that...
**Those 2 questions aren't entirely about behavior, but the pecking part is, so hope it's OK I posted that here.**
She's becoming a little tamer, as I handle her quite often and seem
ed to be tamer to begin with. I let her out of the cage for several hours a day, to free-range, get some exercise, etc., and she stays around the main pen where all the others are. Seems to want to go in there and be with them so bad. I feel sorry for her. I see her laying down or squatting around when she needs to lay an egg, so I put her in the coop w/ the door shut so the others can't get to her. Sure enough, 1/2 hr later, a nice brown egg. The next day, I put a box at the end of her cage with bedding in it and she gave us another one! Her first eggs in about 2 weeks! Guess she's feeling better?
I would like to let the rest of them out but I scared to pieces that I won't be able to get them back in the pen. We live close to the road and a very steep hill, briars and brush, in the wood behind us, so there is no way I can hunt them down.
Question 3: How does one tame adult birds who are so skittish? They run to the coop door anytime I go out there, but when I go inside and try to pick one up, they think they are gingerbread men!! (Ladies, that is!)
And then there's a few who won't even come near me. And Mr. Rooster, who has a head as big as my fist - I'm not going near him. He fusses at me every time I go in and does double duty when I enter the coop.
Question 4: Is this normal for the rooster? Or does he really not like me?
I'm sorry this is so long, but now have most of the story - except the ending - and I'm waiting on that! My gingerbread ladies haven't crossed that last river yet! THANK YOU!!
Question 1: Is there any homemade remedy or household product that will help this heal faster? Can I put Neosporin Oint on it. I did put Vaseline on it once, but it rubbed off pretty fast. Either than or she ate it off??!! What about iodine or peroxide to clean? It is healing but really looks awful now w/o the scab.
Question 2: Or, is there some common thing I might already have to put on her so they won't peck at it? Someone said Vicks Vapor Rub, but then I read this wasn't good for them. The farm stores around here do not have that Rooster Booster Pick No More lotion. I was going to try that...
**Those 2 questions aren't entirely about behavior, but the pecking part is, so hope it's OK I posted that here.**
She's becoming a little tamer, as I handle her quite often and seem
ed to be tamer to begin with. I let her out of the cage for several hours a day, to free-range, get some exercise, etc., and she stays around the main pen where all the others are. Seems to want to go in there and be with them so bad. I feel sorry for her. I see her laying down or squatting around when she needs to lay an egg, so I put her in the coop w/ the door shut so the others can't get to her. Sure enough, 1/2 hr later, a nice brown egg. The next day, I put a box at the end of her cage with bedding in it and she gave us another one! Her first eggs in about 2 weeks! Guess she's feeling better?
I would like to let the rest of them out but I scared to pieces that I won't be able to get them back in the pen. We live close to the road and a very steep hill, briars and brush, in the wood behind us, so there is no way I can hunt them down.
Question 3: How does one tame adult birds who are so skittish? They run to the coop door anytime I go out there, but when I go inside and try to pick one up, they think they are gingerbread men!! (Ladies, that is!)
And then there's a few who won't even come near me. And Mr. Rooster, who has a head as big as my fist - I'm not going near him. He fusses at me every time I go in and does double duty when I enter the coop.
Question 4: Is this normal for the rooster? Or does he really not like me?
I'm sorry this is so long, but now have most of the story - except the ending - and I'm waiting on that! My gingerbread ladies haven't crossed that last river yet! THANK YOU!!
