hen pecked

[marmaset]

Hi everyone, you have all made the news down under with your huge amounts of snow. I feel for you all. Back to my problem, one of my girls ( I have 4 in total) is being given a hard time by No.1 hen and although she knows her place at the bottom of the ladder and keeps out of the way of No.1, she is still loosing her neck feathers. I can only imagine it happens early in the morning before they are let out. I check them every night and she has taken to roosting on the uppermost perch away from the other 3, who I am still trying to train to roost at all. Thinking the initial perch was too high I made them a very low perch, only about a foot of the floor, which they are getting use to. I did try taking No.1 out but the other three still have a peck at her as well. I was wondering if the bullying keeps up if she would not be better in a pen of her own. I have another pen I could put her in but was wondering if hens are social creatures and need company. Being ex batts she is probably use to the abuse but if I can make her life a little more comfortable I feel I should try. It hasn't stopped her laying either. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Marigold]

If the pecking is mostly from the top hen, then you could try separating the bully for a day or two. She would then be likely to slip down the pecking order a bit in her return and in the meantime the other two might lay off a bit. Hens don't usually peck or bully each other in the darkness of the coop overnight so if this is happening, its unusual. The other remedy to use instead/ as well is anti pecking spray, which is horrible stuff that actually affects the poor pecked one as well as the bullies because she will try to preen it off. Lastly, you could consider a bumper bit, at least for the top hen. Several threads on here about them if you use the Search button. These prevent the hen from pecking others but allow her to feed and drink herself. People report that the hen gets used to it quite fast and in most cases it can be discarded after a week or so. See Valerie's recent post http://poultrykeeperforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7907
Main thing to actually worry about is whether any blood is actually being shed on the affected hen, as if so they will all pile in and injure her quite badly. If she is bleeding at all you il need to isolate her, though if possible its best to divide the run with netting so she can see the others and still be seen and remembered by them, otherwise when reintroduced you will be back to Square 1 with the bullying. Separating her entirely is not a good idea unless she is actually being bullied to the blood stage, as you are right about their need to have company, and in any case, fairness demands that the bully should suffer this if anybody has to.
Have you examined her neck feathers where she is being pecked? Look very carefully for the tiny eggs of lice or other parasites that they may have in Sydney, I don't know if your 'wildlife' is the same as ours! If she is infested the others may be attracted. Is the pecking only directed to her neck? Often the bum is the target, with those nice tasty fluffy feathers.
Feather pecking is very common, and unfortunately once started it can spread through the flock, and is hard to sort out, as the fathers are high in protein, very tasty to the hens, as well as giving them an outlet to be nasty to each other. If it doesn't resolve soon I would definitely consider the bumper bits.

 

[chrismahon]

They need company Marmaset. If they are all pecking her can you get an anti-peck spray for her neck? As Marigold says it affects the poor victim more than the assailants, but with them all pecking here you haven't much option. We did have a case of head lice that all the others were pecking off -the hen actually welcomed the attention and that was the clue. Head lice are solitary, small and move very quickly.

 

[Chuck]

Anti peck spray is not a lot of use for bullying, it is to prevent feathers being pulled out. I'm a bit unclear on how severe the problem is - is it feathers being pulled from the neck or is there constant bullying of a more severe nature. Hens can live on their own, especially if they are in sight of the others.

 

[marmaset]

Thanks for the advice, there is no blood being drawn and its only around the neck not the tail. I have dusted then for mites etc so will try taking the bully out again. I have watched them and they don't seem that aggressive just the occasional nip if she gets too close to the tastiest food scraps, although I scatter them all over the yard. How long does it take for their feathers to grow back as I've only had them about 2 months and they were all a little pecked when I got them. Does the size of their comb indicate the age of the bird as two have large combs and the two at the bottom of the food chain have quite small combs, but they are all laying every day. They are suppose to be 12 to 18 months old, not that it is a concern as their manure is more valuable to me at the moment than their eggs. I am supplying all the relations with fresh eggs as I can't eat 4 eggs a day. http://poultrykeeperforum.com/posting.php?mode=smilies&f=3#

 

[Marigold]

It sounds as if its a problem you've inherited with these birds, doesn't it, and old habits are very difficult to break with a flock of hens. I suppose it depends on whether you feel she can tolerate the level of pecking she is being subjected to. If not, and you want Io try breaking them if the habit, then the beak bits are probably the only option likely to make a lasting difference.
What breeds of hens are they? Yes the size of comb will indicate the age of an immature bird, their combs don't develop until they are near to coming into lay. However, as yours are all at least over a year old their combs will be fully grown but the size and shape of comb varies greatly between breeds. A hen in lay and in good health will have a bright red comb whatever the breed. I don't think comb size has anything to do with position in the flock, assuming you have a mix of breeds in there.
It would be interesting if you could post some pics of them, and maybe a close up if the feather damage.

 

[marmaset]

They are all Isa Browns, ex battery hens I thought I would rescue. As you say their problem may stem from their former life in cages. I will post some pics as soon as I get back home but I have been called away from home to nurse an ill person and may not get back for some time. I have organised my children to collect the eggs and tend to their water and feed, other than that they will have to fight their own battles for now. Thanks for all your help on the subject.