Hey all, I just wanted to do a article to follow up my post in the pecking problem thread. I ended up solving the problem of pecking in my flock and I'd been asked to share what I came up with. I'm sure they're lots of post on here about this, but I thought it couldn't hurt to share one more.
Couple reasons why the pecking started, 1 my girls are free range but I've had to keep them inside a big shed all winter due to a Bobcat problem, so they got VERY moody and mean to each other. 2 I had integrated about 15 hens into an old flock of 4 and the original 4 decided to try and crowd them out by major pecking. 3 I have one hen from a breed that is known for aggressive and unfriendly behavior, and she was just horrible to everyone from the beginning, but once she learned pecking from the originals, she just turned into a horror.
I seem to have solved the problem, which was completely out of hand...horrible bloody raw pecking wounds and all.
I slowly have watched who has been pecking and who they're pecking, I removed the first batch(which consisted of the original hens). But, still I found bad peck wounds the other day, so I removed the other two who were the culprits.
Everyone's getting along better now that the stress of from the peckers is gone, less fighting, less pecking, and less moodiness.
I came to realize that certain ones that peck don't peck EVERYONE just certain ones they dislike, so I don't have to keep them all separate right now.
Out of 16 hens, I have a set of 9 that get along fine now and do not have to be supervised, one set of two, and three sets of one.
I will end up having to cull the very aggressive ones because they seem to genuinely want to hurt the other girls whenever they can.
Now, I have to say I didn't by any means catch the pecking quickly, I think it had been a month but just hadn't been severe. I mistook the broken and missing feathers on their backs for marks from the rooster.
Now, I don't think I would have been able to salvage the flock if I had waited to take action any longer.
So, as an encouragement, I'd like to say of you catch the pecking quickly and figure out who it is before it passes on to other birds, you have a great chance of rectifying the problem and having a healthy flock!
My girls who had totally raw bloody and skinless backs, are now fluffy starting to grow pin feathers again, and are out with the flock, which is such a relief to see!
It's been a long stressful and worrisome journey, but I've learned a lot from it and know what to look for and what to do now.
Let me know if anyone has any questions.
P.S Blue Kote works wonders for pecking wounds!
Thanks for everyone's help and and answers to questions!
Best,
EWL
Here is the link to my original thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pecking-and-picking-problems.1347788/
Couple reasons why the pecking started, 1 my girls are free range but I've had to keep them inside a big shed all winter due to a Bobcat problem, so they got VERY moody and mean to each other. 2 I had integrated about 15 hens into an old flock of 4 and the original 4 decided to try and crowd them out by major pecking. 3 I have one hen from a breed that is known for aggressive and unfriendly behavior, and she was just horrible to everyone from the beginning, but once she learned pecking from the originals, she just turned into a horror.
I seem to have solved the problem, which was completely out of hand...horrible bloody raw pecking wounds and all.
I slowly have watched who has been pecking and who they're pecking, I removed the first batch(which consisted of the original hens). But, still I found bad peck wounds the other day, so I removed the other two who were the culprits.
Everyone's getting along better now that the stress of from the peckers is gone, less fighting, less pecking, and less moodiness.
I came to realize that certain ones that peck don't peck EVERYONE just certain ones they dislike, so I don't have to keep them all separate right now.
Out of 16 hens, I have a set of 9 that get along fine now and do not have to be supervised, one set of two, and three sets of one.
I will end up having to cull the very aggressive ones because they seem to genuinely want to hurt the other girls whenever they can.
Now, I have to say I didn't by any means catch the pecking quickly, I think it had been a month but just hadn't been severe. I mistook the broken and missing feathers on their backs for marks from the rooster.
Now, I don't think I would have been able to salvage the flock if I had waited to take action any longer.
So, as an encouragement, I'd like to say of you catch the pecking quickly and figure out who it is before it passes on to other birds, you have a great chance of rectifying the problem and having a healthy flock!
My girls who had totally raw bloody and skinless backs, are now fluffy starting to grow pin feathers again, and are out with the flock, which is such a relief to see!
It's been a long stressful and worrisome journey, but I've learned a lot from it and know what to look for and what to do now.
Let me know if anyone has any questions.
P.S Blue Kote works wonders for pecking wounds!
Thanks for everyone's help and and answers to questions!
Best,
EWL
Here is the link to my original thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pecking-and-picking-problems.1347788/
