I am looking for a solution to Hazel's pecking and found this answer, below. Does anyone know anything about the "beak clips" mentioned?
Hen pecking
Dear Practical Poultry, I have kept 10 to 12 chickens in an enclosed run for the past two years. One of my chickens has habitually pecked at the other chickens for some time. I'm getting more concerned now as another chicken has also started this nasty pecking habit. What should I do?
Richard Baker, Derby
Feather pecking is a habit that's impossible to break. The culprit is usually recognised as being the only full-feathered bird in a pen where the rest are obviously lacking - usually over the tail base, down the neck and chest or down the thighs. The picking can result in areas of trauma - once a bird has been bloodied, the others will naturally peck at the red, making matters progressively worse.
The best 'treatment' is to use small beak clips. These are widely available, and are thin, plastic, incomplete oval rings that clip into the nostrils and sit between upper and lower beaks. This means that the bird can close its beak enough to pick up grain and pellets, but not tightly enough to grip and pull a feather. Be warned though that clips like this will cause a groove across the upper beak, so if these are show birds, it's better to just separate the ring leader. The second bird to now be picking will also need the same treatment.
Dear Practical Poultry, I have kept 10 to 12 chickens in an enclosed run for the past two years. One of my chickens has habitually pecked at the other chickens for some time. I'm getting more concerned now as another chicken has also started this nasty pecking habit. What should I do?
Richard Baker, Derby
Feather pecking is a habit that's impossible to break. The culprit is usually recognised as being the only full-feathered bird in a pen where the rest are obviously lacking - usually over the tail base, down the neck and chest or down the thighs. The picking can result in areas of trauma - once a bird has been bloodied, the others will naturally peck at the red, making matters progressively worse.
The best 'treatment' is to use small beak clips. These are widely available, and are thin, plastic, incomplete oval rings that clip into the nostrils and sit between upper and lower beaks. This means that the bird can close its beak enough to pick up grain and pellets, but not tightly enough to grip and pull a feather. Be warned though that clips like this will cause a groove across the upper beak, so if these are show birds, it's better to just separate the ring leader. The second bird to now be picking will also need the same treatment.
