Stopping them pecking til bloody...

[basicliving]

While I do agree that treating with pine tar is addressing the symptoms, I also know from personal experience that feather picking/plucking can be a learned behavior. Removing the true culprit is definitely best, if you can identify her/him. And using the pine tar worked for me in discouraging the behavior and breaking the "habit" - it can also help prevent the issue from becoming cannibalism, which is definitely a valid concern. But I will say that I believe the true "cure" was that I began letting mine free range from sun up until sun down. Addressing any over crowding issue and/or boredom issues is absolutely necessary.

Covering the run is completely up to you. My concern would be the hawk issue you mentioned. If you know there are hawks in the area, penning your chickens with no over head protection is likely going to set them up as a smorgasbord. But it's completely up to you to access the risk and make that decision.

It sounds like you are doing a great job. I wish you the very best of luck. Let us know how it goes.

Take care,
Penny

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree. As I said in my 1st post, the cure is giving them more space. The pine tar works until you can correct the main issue.

 

[cmom]

Enlarging the run is a good idea. Also removing the one who instigates the others pecking is another good idea. I had two hen that were bad so I put them in chicken jail for awhile. Also when I caught them in this behavior. I had a hose handy and gave them a good forceful squirt with the hose which took them totally by surprised. Their behavior changed after a few squirts with the hose.

 

[emartin]

We are going to dismantle the other old dog run later this week (will be a HUGE PIA since the bolts and clamps holding the galvinized steel fencing together are badly rusted which is going to make it extra difficult) which should triple (or larger) the current size of the run.

The two I believe that were instigating the pecking, the #1 and #2 females got peepers on and I haven't seen anyone else pecking or anyone bloody again, and when they are outside or in the run they aren't bothering the two that are recovering (the wounds closed up on them, but they both still have their skin exposed even though it is dyed from the blu-kote and the pine tar).

Anyway the two that were pecking, and 3 cuckoo marans we sold today and we are considering introducing our six 5-week old wyandottes in there (they are a tiny bit smaller, and we only intend on keeping one silver and one gold laced wyandottes, or just one or the other...just waiting for 100% of their feathers to come in and to see what their personalities are like). So we'll be keeping an eye tonight making sure they don't get picked on and we may add more peepers on the remaining birds in there.

Thanks for all the input though... The problem seems to be solved so far and to help prevent it again we are going to expand the run over the next week or so....
~Ed