Cannibalism- what to do?

[Auntiearielschickens]

I have a favorite chicken - Barb. And she was brutally pecked by another hen-Fannie. Fannie is a picker and has done this to another chicken but not to this degree. I have treated Barb to the best I can and we are waiting to see what happens. We are heading into winter where my chickens have a large coop and run. My coop and run are set for 4sqf in the coop and 10ft in the run per bird for 20 chickens and I only have 13. So they should have plenty of space but I am worried about Fannie getting bored and hurting more chickens. Since it is now a pattern. What do I do with Fannie?

 

[sourland]

You might try Pin Less Peepers. Do an on site search. As a last resort rehoming/eating Fannie would be a sure cure.

 

[CoopBoots]

Ditto Sourland: I'd suggest pinless peepers for Fannie, just to start. Is it feather picking gone too far, or bullying/flesh attacks? What kind of feed do you use?

I'm a bit pragmatic in my chicken keeping, so I generally rehome or otherwise remove violent birds for the sake of the peaceful ones. But hopefully Fannie can be rehabbed with some adjustments... I certainly would not want this habit to spread under any circumstances.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

I have a favorite chicken - Barb. And she was brutally pecked by another hen-Fannie. Fannie is a picker and has done this to another chicken but not to this degree. I have treated Barb to the best I can and we are waiting to see what happens. We are heading into winter where my chickens have a large coop and run. My coop and run are set for 4sqf in the coop and 10ft in the run per bird for 20 chickens and I only have 13. So they should have plenty of space but I am worried about Fannie getting bored and hurting more chickens. Since it is now a pattern. What do I do with Fannie?

if she is of no use/ importance to you, eat her.
if she is your second favorite/ your relatives favorite/ the youngest/ the oldest/ the best layer/ you are a vegetarian/ whatever other reason people don't eat chickens, I would get a small coop and run that she cannot escape, and place it near the old run so that she is isolated and not causing trouble, but she can still see or hear her old flock.

 

[Auntiearielschickens]

Ditto Sourland: I'd suggest pinless peepers for Fannie, just to start. Is it feather picking gone too far, or bullying/flesh attacks? What kind of feed do you use?

I'm a bit pragmatic in my chicken keeping, so I generally rehome or otherwise remove violent birds for the sake of the peaceful ones. But hopefully Fannie can be rehabbed with some adjustments... I certainly would not want this habit to spread under any circumstances.

The is a picker for sure… but this went way way too far and barb doesn’t fight back. So does that make it bullying? We use an egg layer feed. They are molting and we just added some meal worms for extra protein. She is molting pretty hard and I’m wondering if the need for protein lent for this? But it has happened before and I just can’t have it happen again

 

[lnewcomer]

I have a favorite chicken - Barb. And she was brutally pecked by another hen-Fannie. Fannie is a picker and has done this to another chicken but not to this degree. I have treated Barb to the best I can and we are waiting to see what happens. We are heading into winter where my chickens have a large coop and run. My coop and run are set for 4sqf in the coop and 10ft in the run per bird for 20 chickens and I only have 13. So they should have plenty of space but I am worried about Fannie getting bored and hurting more chickens. Since it is now a pattern. What do I do with Fannie?

I have a 50+ flock, with some built in picking issues. I have found that getting a acid brush and some tea tree oil, pure type and lightly brushing the feathers of the victims, fixes the issues. On the surface feathers, not the skin.

 

[CoopBoots]

The is a picker for sure… but this went way way too far and barb doesn’t fight back. So does that make it bullying? We use an egg layer feed. They are molting and we just added some meal worms for extra protein. She is molting pretty hard and I’m wondering if the need for protein lent for this? But it has happened before and I just can’t have it happen again

I'd call that bullying, myself. Lack of protein, especially during molt when they need more for feather regrowth, definitely can prompt worse picking, but there's also the habit/acquired taste aspect. I doubt protein will fully solve this established habit.

Whatever you do with Fannie, I'd recommend switching to a higher protein content feed, like all flock or even chick starter, to try and prevent other birds from trying this/acquiring a taste for it, though. Other people supplement with cat food, scrambled eggs, or mealworms during molt (but of course supplementing can lead to other imbalances if you rely on them too much... lots of varying opinions but I personally feel the best recommending just a feed switch during this season. I actually try to feed higher protein year round and just supplement the calcium with oyster shell since they don't treat that like food replacement. )

 

[SamLockwood]

I have a favorite chicken - Barb. And she was brutally pecked by another hen-Fannie. Fannie is a picker and has done this to another chicken but not to this degree. I have treated Barb to the best I can and we are waiting to see what happens. We are heading into winter where my chickens have a large coop and run. My coop and run are set for 4sqf in the coop and 10ft in the run per bird for 20 chickens and I only have 13. So they should have plenty of space but I am worried about Fannie getting bored and hurting more chickens. Since it is now a pattern. What do I do with Fannie?

Short term, seprate the aggressor for anywhere from a few days to a week.

If you don't have it already, set up more than one feeder and waterer in the run and have them set up so there's no line of sight between them. Have some sort of screen where a picked-on bird can hide from the aggressor.

You may also want to look at the number of roosting bars you have, I know they say something like 1' per bird, but in my experience it's more like 2'.

The point of all this that while the overall space is "regulation" I've noticed that roosting bars can be point of contention as is food. Plus a lot of "bullying" is really pecking-order disputes that go too far: when a dominant bird gets challenged it chases the challenger off. If the challenger can't or won't get out of the alpha's sight the alpha will interpret that as defiance and the aggression will continue or escalate.

You've got to remember they're behavior is a lot more hard-wired than ours, and it doesn't occur to them they're living in a closed environment instead of an open jungle. They're just acting on instinct.

If chicken-jail and time-out spaces don't work, try pinless peepers. I've never used them myself but the feedback on here seems overwhelmingly positive.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I would switch them to 20% all flock and separate the bully then reintroduce in a few days to a week to put her lower on the pecking order. Most layer feeds are way too low in protein for molting and they have the extra calcium which isn’t needed during a molt even with adding extra high protein treats.

 

[Auntiearielschickens]

Barb passed this afternoon. Since this has happened before but not to this degree I’m thinking we will remove Fannie. I’ve tried many things and can’t let the rest of my flock be in danger. Thank you all!