Top hen being pecked?! Any advice?!

[LaFleche]

Yes, they have no idea of what a normal chicken behaviour would entail, but they are fast learners and it is nice to watch them discover that life can be so much more than being crammed in a commercial production plant.

At first, they will not have any grit/rough sand in their gizzard and they will need it to be able to process any feed other than pellets.

To switch their feed it is best to do so slowly over a period of at least 5-10 days to not overwhelm their digestive tract and cause diarrhea.

 

[Heffrington]

Yes, they have no idea of what a normal chicken behaviour would entail, but they are fast learners and it is nice to watch them discover that life can be so much more than being crammed in a commercial production plant.

At first, they will not have any grit/rough sand in their gizzard and they will need it to be able to process any feed other than pellets.

To switch their feed it is best to do so slowly over a period of at least 5-10 days to not overwhelm their digestive tract and cause diarrhea.

Noted, thanks! They have a grit and oyster shell mix available at all times but I've never actually witnessed one of them swallow any of the grit... hopefully they have been.
I've literally just scrambled an egg for them so im gonna go see what they think of it! X

 

[DobieLover]

Does feeding them fish affect the taste of the eggs? I heard cod liver oil does.

Not in the slightest.
I eat the eggs from my fish fed chickens and sell the surplus and not a single person has complained about fishy tasting eggs.
Cod liver oil is very concentrated vs what they would get from just eating the meat of the fish.

It's hard to tell about moulting atm as they are all a bit bald anyway from their previous life!

I feed extra meat year round. I just increase the frequency during the molt. Because your birds are highly likely to be protein deprived, feed them extra meat now and do it for several months to see if things improve. Get them on a better quality (high protein content) complete feed and continue to supplement meat to further improve the quality.

pinless peepers

I would only use these as a last resort. First and foremost, chickens need lots and lots of space with plenty of structure in it. It's called clutter on this site. Wood chips or other organic material to scratch around in, soil to dust bathe in, stumps, branches, old wood chairs, pallets to jump up on or rest under. Places they can sun bathe.
Spread food sources all around their enclosure so they have to "forage" for it.
Meet their species specific needs (physical, nutritional, social and psychological) and practically all behavioral problems resolve themselves.
Hence the repeat request for pictures of your entire setup, coop plus run and/or pen.