Hen pecked hens!

[Limner]

What do you do when you hens start pecking at each other? I've been on the web and tried to get a good homestead answer to this one. Supposedly it's because there is too much light (we have no supplemental lighting in the house) or bad diet (they are getting free choice laying mash, fed scratch grains several times in the day, plus oyster shell and lotsa table scraps, and are given fresh water at least twice a day). I do think this habit was established when we got them; they were in a too small space in their old home;, and do need a bigger yard right now, but that will have to wait for a bit. I wondered if maybe it was a mite, but they are doing it to each other; I stood there this afternoon and watched them do it. :? I have about six of our dozen hens with naked backs, some of them looking pretty raw. :shock:

We must be doing something right....from the 12 hens, we got 12 eggs yesterday, and today, I brought in 11. So we must be doing something right! They aren't really flightly sorts, and they;ll let you pet them, etc.

[Yooper]

Wow, well you've really stumped me too. Like you said, when we first got our chicks last fall, we had them in too small a space, thinking to keep them warmer. But the crowding caused pecking at the tailfeathers and finally the rump and we lost two of them before I caught it. It happened within a couple of hours! I felt so darn bad. What a way to go. :cry:

But if yours are now fully grown, and they have plenty of room, I can't see why they'd do that still. It sounds like they have good food and water too. Have they been doing this all along?
It couldn't be a protein deficiency, could it? The layer mash should be fine for that. If they're just pecking at feathers, maybe the calcium in the feed is too little? But the Oyster shell should take care of that too.
hmmmm.
If you find out, let us know, OK?
Darlene

[Limner]

Wow, well you've really stumped me too. Like you said, when we first got our chicks last fall, we had them in too small a space, thinking to keep them warmer. But the crowding caused pecking at the tailfeathers and finally the rump and we lost two of them before I caught it. It happened within a couple of hours! I felt so darn bad. What a way to go. :cry:

But if yours are now fully grown, and they have plenty of room, I can't see why they'd do that still. It sounds like they have good food and water too. Have they been doing this all along?
It couldn't be a protein deficiency, could it? The layer mash should be fine for that. If they're just pecking at feathers, maybe the calcium in the feed is too little? But the Oyster shell should take care of that too.
hmmmm.
If you find out, let us know, OK?
Darlene

Darlene, there were a few with bare backs when we got them, and we figured it was because there were TWO roosters in their original home. But I have notice MORE the past few days. They weren't really all that enthused about the new oyster shell I scattered in their yard this afternoon, so I don't think it's a calcium deficiency. Hubby completely changed their bedding a few days ago (pine shavings) 'cause the place was starting to smell damp and ammonia-ish, but the new stuff is dry and fluffy and has no smell now.

The only thing I could think of is that they need a bigger yard....but that will have to wait a few weeks until I get Hubby talked into it.

[Yooper]

So, you're sure that there are no roosters amongst them? VBG
Every year, just about now, the roosters in our coop start really "bothering" the hens and they start to loose their feathers.

In just checking my books for space requirements, it says to allow 10 sq. ft per bird in confined housing. That's for adult heavy breeds.
Mine are woefully crowded now too. But up here they won't get outside for another month at least.

Sounds like bare backs from rooster-love. Come fall when they molt, it will be nice to see them fully feathered again! Until then, hopefully none peck enough to draw blood.
Are you sure they're all girls???
:mrgreen:

[Emily]

Darlene, there were a few with bare backs when we got them, and we figured it was because there were TWO roosters in their original home. But I have notice MORE the past few days. They weren't really all that enthused about the new oyster shell I scattered in their yard this afternoon, so I don't think it's a calcium deficiency. Hubby completely changed their bedding a few days ago (pine shavings) 'cause the place was starting to smell damp and ammonia-ish, but the new stuff is dry and fluffy and has no smell now.

The only thing I could think of is that they need a bigger yard....but that will have to wait a few weeks until I get Hubby talked into it.

Have you tried calling the place where you bought them?
Especially if two of them arrived that way.

[Limner]

So, you're sure that there are no roosters amongst them? VBG
Every year, just about now, the roosters in our coop start really "bothering" the hens and they start to loose their feathers.

In just checking my books for space requirements, it says to allow 10 sq. ft per bird in confined housing. That's for adult heavy breeds.
Mine are woefully crowded now too. But up here they won't get outside for another month at least.

Sounds like bare backs from rooster-love. Come fall when they molt, it will be nice to see them fully feathered again! Until then, hopefully none peck enough to draw blood.
Are you sure they're all girls???
:mrgreen:

NAW, LOL! the previous owners had TWO roosters, and they threw in one of them for cheeeep, and he lets the world KNOW we have a rooster in the wee hours of the morning, LOL!!!! BUT---I do think the pecking is from the other hens, 'cause I've watched them do it! :-P Yeah, ourw ould appreciate a much bigger outside space.....and I am very sure we don't have nearly that amount of space for our ladies.

We ALL want spring. :-P

[Limner]

Have you tried calling the place where you bought them?
Especially if two of them arrived that way.

Nope, Em, I didn't think about that. Hubby has their number, but he is out of town right now. That might be a good idea, tho'. Thanks!

[Summerthyme]

Some pecking is normal. If you're actually seeing BLOOD, not just bare skin, you do need to take action, because they can kill the weaker birds (and then eat them... and sometimes they don't wait until they're dead, either. Yuck- but I've only seen that in meat birds, generally... we had some free "packing peanut" roosters thrown into one batch of meat birds one time which were absolutely VICIOUS. They killed and ate several of my (slower, less active) Cornish Cross chicks before I caught on to what was going on. It was ugly)

Anyway... they sell some "anti pick" salve or lotion, and I'd definitely get some. Apply it to the bare spots, especially any which are bleeding. It is formulated to help heal injuries, but it also tastes bad, and will stop most pecking.

If you can figure out which hens are doing it (especially if it is just a couple of bullies), clip their beaks. You don't need to take off a lot... just blunt the tip of the upper beak a bit. It may bleed a little, but probably won't. When they "debeak" chicks at the hatchery, they take off a lot more than "just the tip", and they usually cauterize it. I haven't had to do that on the few that I've clipped, but I don't take half the beak off, either.

It really is the time when the roosters get "active". That's probably not helping... especially if they are in a fairly small pen and the hens can't get away easily.

One thing you might want to try for fun is adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to their water. About a tablespoon per gallon. I haven't tried this, but a lot of old timers swear it "stops cannibalism", as well as helping other issues. Cheap solution if it would work.

Summerthyme

[goatlady]

I agree with Summer about de-beaking, but you already have stated they are crowded and they are VERy stressed in the crowded quarters. Bad habit is setting in and will probably be hard to change unless they get more room to move around pretty quickly.

[Limner]

ummer, de-beaking scares the stuffing outta me! But if I have to, I can try. I will add the vinegar to the water, that's very doable. Wonder if you han make the salve in the kitchen? HMMM---off to find a recipe.....

[Limner]

bigger pen is going on the honeydo list, asap......!!!!

[AngelDance]

In my experience, hens peck other hens for 3 reasons:

1. If they are young pullets, they are establishing "pecking order".

2. There is not enough protein in their diet.

3. There is not enough room for them, if confined. Rule of thumb is 10 sq ft or more per bird, if confined. 3-4 sq ft per bird if free ranged and only housed at night (roosting time).

Solutions to problems:

1. separate bullies from bull-ees, if possible

2. Add protein in the form of meat to their diet. Meat scraps from meals, scrambled eggs, mice from traps etc all add protein to the chooks diet. If you are squeamish about those, add some non-fat dry milk powder to their feed or some cottage cheese to their feed.

3. Make provisions for more space per bird.

It is worth noting that free range chooks rarely exhibit pecking behavior, with the exception of reason number 1, and by free range, I do not mean the UDSA definition of "free range".

Angel

[momof23goats]

In my experience, hens peck other hens for 3 reasons:

1. If they are young pullets, they are establishing "pecking order".

2. There is not enough protein in their diet.

3. There is not enough room for them, if confined. Rule of thumb is 10 sq ft or more per bird, if confined. 3-4 sq ft per bird if free ranged and only housed at night (roosting time).

Solutions to problems:

1. separate bullies from bull-ees, if possible

2. Add protein in the form of meat to their diet. Meat scraps from meals, scrambled eggs, mice from traps etc all add protein to the chooks diet. If you are squeamish about those, add some non-fat dry milk powder to their feed or some cottage cheese to their feed.

3. Make provisions for more space per bird.

It is worth noting that free range chooks rarely exhibit pecking behavior, with the exception of reason number 1, and by free range, I do not mean the UDSA definition of "free range".

Angel
these are all good answers. when mine do this, I throw them a pork chop ofso. any kind of meat. I have seen my granny throw them a couple of stips of bacon.

[Betsy Ross]

these are all good answers. when mine do this, I throw them a pork chop ofso. any kind of meat. I have seen my granny throw them a couple of stips of bacon.

I throw a handful or two of dry dog food into the chicken pen daily for extra protein and also add Avia Charge (available at McMurray Hatchery) to their water. The Avia Charge is a natural vitamin supplement and has made a big difference in the quality of the eggs. The shells are a deeper color and one older hen started laying jumbo eggs after I started using the Avia Charge. On the McMurray web site, customer testimony is that it helps prevent feather picking too.

[Limner]

HMMM_--I can do the dog food thing; I remember our free range hens used to fight the dog for his food; one peck and the poor dog would come looking for Mama to chase off the hens, LOL! I put the vinegar in their water today, but I suspect it'll be a few days before I see how that works.

[morningstar]

Limner,

Sometimes I think the birds just get a little stir crazy, being "cooped" up. I think the protein is a great idea, but I also will add a few extra things in the coop during these long, winter days. Like, any left over gourds or pumpkins, cabbage (this should be going on sale for St. Patty's Day), sunflower seeds, even an old bale of straw for them to scratch. These will keep them occupied and hopefully, pick on each other less.

MS

[Limner]

Limner,

Sometimes I think the birds just get a little stir crazy, being "cooped" up. I think the protein is a great idea, but I also will add a few extra things in the coop during these long, winter days. Like, any left over gourds or pumpkins, cabbage (this should be going on sale for St. Patty's Day), sunflower seeds, even an old bale of straw for them to scratch. These will keep them occupied and hopefully, pick on each other less.

MS


I chunked up a getting funky grapefruit for them a bit ago...they thought that was pretty kool!

[Tweety]

I have one girl that was doing that to another girl's foot. I came up tring to use spray second skin at Wal-mart that has so far worked. The foot claw seems to be healing, and she is walking around better. She was limping there for awhile. She would draw it up and hide it from the meanie. My son laught at me for going after her and scaring her a bit.

[nattybumppo]

What do you do when you hens start pecking at each other? I've been on the web and tried to get a good homestead answer to this one. Supposedly it's because there is too much light (we have no supplemental lighting in the house) or bad diet (they are getting free choice laying mash, fed scratch grains several times in the day, plus oyster shell and lotsa table scraps, and are given fresh water at least twice a day). I do think this habit was established when we got them; they were in a too small space in their old home;, and do need a bigger yard right now, but that will have to wait for a bit. I wondered if maybe it was a mite, but they are doing it to each other; I stood there this afternoon and watched them do it. :? I have about six of our dozen hens with naked backs, some of them looking pretty raw. :shock:

We must be doing something right....from the 12 hens, we got 12 eggs yesterday, and today, I brought in 11. So we must be doing something right! They aren't really flightly sorts, and they;ll let you pet them, etc.

Whoever said the lack of protien and pecking order is right. That will cause some of what you described. The hens will get naked backs, for all the action they are getting from the roosters. And if you think that you have a mite problem, the answer is...Apple Cider Vinegar. In the summer, everyone gets it. It will stop lice on all animals, keep ticks off of dogs and so on. Just put some in their water.

[check]

We had a problem with the older hens pecking one of the younger hens when a broody hen hatched a clutch of eggs. I kept the runt and even full grown the older hens pecked her all the time. We have a huge chicken run area, the coop is real big for all the birds but the pecking went on for a few months.

The runty hen would even go and roost on the feeding station part of the coop and at night we'd go out in the dark and place her on the roost with the other hens, this went on for almost a month and then they accepted her and only chase her off now and then fighting over goodies like a banana peel or other treats.

We don't supplement their diet, we use a layers mash, and toss them dry corn and wheat now and then. We have to sequester the rooster in his own run area and also his own divided off part of the coop where he has food and water because our hen to rooster ratio isn't enough and it took almost a year for one hen to grow all her back feathers in after he kept hopping on her viciously.

In about a month, we'll let the rooster run with the hens now and then to get fertile eggs to increase our flock, we can make the hens go broody real easily by putting golf balls in their nesting boxes. Once we get a hen to lay on the golf balls, then we switch the golf balls with fertilized eggs.

Once we get a good ratio of hens to rooster, then we won't have the problems of the hens getting feathers torn out. Roosters are not gentlemen LOL.

What hens love are sugary baked goodies. I had some pineapple cobbler that didn't get all eaten and after a few days gave it to the chickens, they loved it! Sometimes too I'll mix up chicken feed and strawberry yogurt and put it on a feeding tray for them, they go absolutely nuts over yogurt!

[Limner]

Thanks, all. Hubby has been doing chores the last day or two (i've been sick with this flu) so haven't been out to see how the girls were doing. But we are putting bits of dog food into the feed and putting vinegar in the water....

[Spike n Ree]

What do you do when you hens start pecking at each other? I've been on the web and tried to get a good homestead answer to this one. Supposedly it's because there is too much light (we have no supplemental lighting in the house) or bad diet (they are getting free choice laying mash, fed scratch grains several times in the day, plus oyster shell and lotsa table scraps, and are given fresh water at least twice a day). I do think this habit was established when we got them; they were in a too small space in their old home;, and do need a bigger yard right now, but that will have to wait for a bit. I wondered if maybe it was a mite, but they are doing it to each other; I stood there this afternoon and watched them do it. :? I have about six of our dozen hens with naked backs, some of them looking pretty raw. :shock:

We must be doing something right....from the 12 hens, we got 12 eggs yesterday, and today, I brought in 11. So we must be doing something right! They aren't really flightly sorts, and they;ll let you pet them, etc.

It is usually because there are too many in the space you have.

You can get some things to put on their beeks so that their vision is blocked to a degree. I can't remember what they are called, but they look like eye glasses on the hen. This will stop the pecking.

[Spike n Ree]

Here is a link to those things I could not remember the name of.

They are called Anti-pick bits.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/plastic_anti_pick_bits.html

[bluetick]

A couple of other ways to keep your chickens busy:
1. Put a big spike nail through a board and run the spike through a whole head of cabbage. The board and spike keep the cabbage from rolling around in any poop.
2. Put beef suet in a mesh bag or cage made for wild bird feeding and hang it at chicken head level. My grocery store carries plain suet all winter.

The chickens will peck at these and generally stay out of trouble, at least for a short time!

[unclewilson]

biscuits and gravy?

[jrw422]

Mine were doing that and actually were killing each other. They are bored or hungry. Give them stuff to climb on and peck at. Also if there is no grass, give them some. Pull weeds and get a bagger mower and give them twice a day. No more pecking and killing after I did these two things