Pinless peepers, what do i need to know?

[PoppySeedy]

I've taken the BYC advice and am going to try my hen with pinless peepers as she keeps pecking my other chickens feathers out (due to boredom) so I'm wondering...
What do I need to know?
Like any really important advice about peepers so I don't accidentally hurt my chicken? Thank you

 

[JacinLarkwell]

They can cause irritation and inflammation of the nostrils even when installed properly

 

[PoppySeedy]

They can cause irritation and inflammation of the nostrils even when installed properly

Is there any way to decrease or prevent this?

 

[Weeg]

I don't like using peepers. If installed incorrectly, they can cause bleeding. If installed correctly you can still have a bd outcome. Have you looked into other options besides peepers?
How big is your run/coop (demotions if possible) and how many chickens?

 

[Chickie77]

I'm thinking of trying these too. I have 3 chickens getting pecked. No one is bloody, but one is rapidly going bald on her neck, and I worry the other two who's backs are getting pecked may get worse. They have tons of room, no rooster, lots of stuff in their run to interact with, and the other things I've seen to try and stop this don't necessarily seem more humane - aprons lead to mites and lice, ointments aren't super healthy and needs frequent reapplication. Would love to know how this experiment went!

 

[Sueby]

I used them on a bully & they worked, she was still mean but didn't bother as much. They are a pain to get on, I soaked them in hot water first to make them more supple & we skipped the tool. One held her, one put the peepers on. It took a couple tries, she initially scratched them off & there was a little blood from that but we kept an eye on it & it was no big deal. She walked backwards for a hour or so when I put them on, but she eventually figured it out. She was never able to drink from the nipple waterer so I had to leave out an open bucket for her. She got up & down from the roost just fine.

Winter was coming & I had to give up the open waterer for a heated nipple waterer so I pulled the peepers & she went right back to beating on everyone so we culled her. (we tried numerous other things also & she was a carrier of a respiratory disease so I couldn't re-home her)

Not sure if we call that a success or not, lol.

 

[Chickie77]

Well, that definitely doesn't sound the preferred outcome, but I appreciate the update and details about how it went non-the-less. Thank you.

 

[SueT]

I used them on a bully hen and it cured her. It was peepers or crockpot for her.
They are hard to put on, it was as described above in Sueby’s post. However, mine did not go back to bullying after removal about 3 or 4 months later. I removed them because the nares got kind of gummy looking. Luckily I didn’t have to replace them.
It is worth trying if you want to keep your chicken. Since we now have a local poultry swap, I’m no longer keeping bullies. Life is much easier without going thru dealing with them.

 

[Chickie77]

Thank you!!! Also, I've never even heard of a pouty swap. They don't just end up becoming bullies in the next flock too? Fascinating! I may have to see if we have one around here.

 

[SueT]

Thank you!!! Also, I've never even heard of a pouty swap. They don't just end up becoming bullies in the next flock too? Fascinating! I may have to see if we have one around here.

I don’t know how they end up, but I would think that if they are incorporated into a new flock they may start out lowest in the pecking order....