Help needed

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Mark71

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Hi , I wonder if anyone can help me ? I have four Wyandotte bantam hens , One of them is pecking out the feathers of the smallest one ... i am new to poultry keeping and would like to know what i can do to stop this ? Maybe get a Cockerel ? Thanks in advance
 
hi,
cockerel probably wont help this is because they are male and normally would be incharge so he would peck them, this happened to my chickens then got rid of the cockbird and it stopped.
i rub vinegar on the chickens when theyre being pecked as it is a horrible taste however dont put alot on as it can sting in the skin
hope this helps
hannah xx
 
Try Net Tex anti peck spray. It usually works for me but you need to re-apply it every few days. Feather pecking is a dangerous habit that can quickly lead to deaths if blood is drawn.
 
We hatched 40 Wyandottes last year and the breed seems particularly prone to feather pecking. Net Tex anti peck spray works but it has down sides. It must be applied regularly, like every two days. The poor little victim then can't preen because the spray is usually over its oil gland. The containers leak because the contents dissolve the piston seal (I've sent emails to Net Tex which they haven't bothered to reply to) and the stuff sprays all over your hands.
The root cause is boredom and overcrowding. We separated our victims and let them mend but always found it started again. When we got the victim out another got picked on. We kept removing birds until they had enough space and sorted themselves out.
How big is your run and what surface is it on?
 
My run is about 10ft square and it's on the lawn , I move it every week or so , I think i will get some pecking blocks for them and see what happens
 
Run is plenty big enough and great on grass. Have they got anywhere to perch in it? We had a bit of diturbance in one run and added a perch which immediately diffused the issues as the birds can fly up to escape -only 18 inches high. Bit of corn scattered on grass keeps them occupied as well but they do dig up the lawn. Have they got a soil bath?
 
Yes they have a soil bath which i put out on dry days , They also have a perch which about 9 inches high , Should i make a higher one ?
 
No. Perch is fine. Is the small one still OK? Are they all laying or are they still too young as laying quietens them down a lot? Could try two feeders as little one might be avoiding the bully and not eating properly. This was another problem we had with Wyandottes -in fact I moved the feeder out of the coop and one didn't eat for a week. Found it wobbling about being attacked by the others. So check the crop first to make sure it is eating and not just drinking water.
 
The little one is eating but she does get chased away sometimes but i make sure she gets some corn every afternoon , I hung some cabbage up yesterday and my pecking blocks should be arriving today so i'll just have to keep watching
 
I'm assuming that you do know that if you see any blood on this bird, you need to remove her straight away from the others. I had this problem with a Wyandotte and had to permanently separate her from the one she was picking on as it was obviously she wasn't going to stop. She seemed to be obsessed with attacking just this one bird.
 
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