I'm having picking/pecking issues with my flock. One 9 week old bird has died! She had the entire rear of her neck pecked out!
I have two groups of hens by age. No roosters.
I have the adults and chicks separated now. The adult picking seems to still be going on. I now have two adults with bald and near bleeding places.
The adults are 1 English Blue Orpington, 1 Black Australorp and 5 Barred Rocks.
The adults are on Tucker 22% protean feed. They get scratch (8 oz for 14 birds) twice a day. It's fortified at about 5% with 40% protean kitten food.
The roost area opens into a 100 sq ft secure "Play Yard" and in the mornings I open the door into a 450 sq ft fenced outer yard. That's about 40 sq ft per chicken!
So I have been reading about BlueKote, HotPick and Pick-No-More. The reviews are almost as negative as positive on these. It sounds like most of these are too thin and easily rubbed or washed off.
It seems to me that we need:
A grease based salve for coverage and lasting properties.
An opaque salve to hide the raw meat look that may encourage picking.
A taste that chickens HATE!
a smell in the same category.
An antibiotic additive would be good to prevent infection.
I have some ideas but want to engage the group mind and see what a few hundred sharp minds can pull up out of their experience base for this.
I have two groups of hens by age. No roosters.
I have the adults and chicks separated now. The adult picking seems to still be going on. I now have two adults with bald and near bleeding places.
The adults are 1 English Blue Orpington, 1 Black Australorp and 5 Barred Rocks.
The adults are on Tucker 22% protean feed. They get scratch (8 oz for 14 birds) twice a day. It's fortified at about 5% with 40% protean kitten food.
The roost area opens into a 100 sq ft secure "Play Yard" and in the mornings I open the door into a 450 sq ft fenced outer yard. That's about 40 sq ft per chicken!
So I have been reading about BlueKote, HotPick and Pick-No-More. The reviews are almost as negative as positive on these. It sounds like most of these are too thin and easily rubbed or washed off.
It seems to me that we need:
A grease based salve for coverage and lasting properties.
An opaque salve to hide the raw meat look that may encourage picking.
A taste that chickens HATE!
a smell in the same category.
An antibiotic additive would be good to prevent infection.
I have some ideas but want to engage the group mind and see what a few hundred sharp minds can pull up out of their experience base for this.