[chooksbury]

   Blimey if it's not one thing it's another.  Dorothy, (the previously newly introduced girl who was bullied by Lucy), has decided to feather peck Matilda, (2nd in command).  Matilda has lost quite a few round her bum but her vent is clean and there's no blood (thank goodness). Have sprayed her with anti peck spray but at a loss as to what started it. 

They've got 17 x 6 feet of semi covered run, and  bark to poke about in .. and sometimes a corn cob on a chain.  Are they too bored ? Are they annoyed about something ? This only started after putting their house up on a stand.  (Which made NO difference as they all flew onto the top as usual tonight GGGRRR only now it's hard to reach up and get the little b**gers down to pop em inside)  Incidentally, the house has been treated against red mite and double checked.

Matilda started laying the day before yesterday.  She was the last to begin ...  All 3 go inside without difficulty to lay but don't like going in at dusk.  I'm worried this feather pecking will escalate and the other two will catch the habit and start on eachother. 

I might try the beak bits but can they still eat with them on ?   Will it upset Dorothy to have one on ?  Do they go on permanently or just for a few days/weeks  

I saw some treat sticks to h ang up called anti-pecka which looked like baked pellet/corn kebabs.  Does anybody else use these and do they help

Never a dull moment eh !

[amj]

sounds to me like they need a flat screen with sky '  .......  sorry '

[grumpydad]

they can eat with beak bits on, it just stops them fully closing their beaks to peck.
they get protein from feathers, so you may want to try some fish flavoured cat food to give them a bit more protein.

there are a couple of sprays that you can try, anti pecking, go onto some of the chuck supplies web sites.

ukadex is very good but very very smelly

p and t poultry have a good range

it could be that you need to stop this before it becomes a habit.

i have used ukadex once and it cured the problem.

[viettaclark]

If you can't let them out they are probably bored and getting up to no good!
I can recommend "boredom balls" 99p+£1.50 postage. They are metal wire balls on a chain that you can stuff tight with greens (spinach, cabbage, lettuce etc) and hang from the roof of the run. My chooks spend ages tossing them about trying to peck the greens out. Entertainment for me as well as for them! I would recommend at least 2 if you have 3 hens so they don't squabble. They go through a lot of greens....have you got a friendly greengrocer or gardener? I actually grow greens for the chickens.....sad...
IMHO the anti-pecka cob things are very expensive and not that effective especially as they already get corn cobs.

[karlooben]

it does sound like they could be getting bored , do they have food down all the time that they are in the run ? another thing u can do to help prevent boredom is get a few cabbages or cucumbers things like that and just hang them up it will take them most the day to eat the cabbage and they wont get bored .
i grow my girls loads of veg in the summer actully they eat more of it then i do but then again i do get the eggs in return so viettaclark your not sad  .

[viettaclark]

Karlooben, my OH asked why we hadn't had any of the "lovely broccoli greens" recently. Didn't have the heart to tell him! The purple sprouting is for us but the broccoli leaves,spinach,cabbages and kale seem to be mysteriously disappearing........
Although my chooks freerange the grass has stopped growing and they are desperate for greens.......
Anybody got any recipes for stalk soup?

[karlooben]

my girls are on nothing but chicken feed at the mo until the summer

[beulah59]

My girls don't like greens 

[chooksbury]

   Well - Matilda's bum got a good squirt of anti peck spray.  Dorothy was seen to approach today, then turn away .. with a disdainful look !  If she could wrinkle her beak up and go eeuurrgh I think she would have.  This seems to have nipped the problem in the bud.  Phew !

Foodwise they have a feeder full of layers to nom at all the time .. plus twice a day they get the magic blue bowl with a treat .. hot mash in the morning, spinach salad in the afternoon . . and a handful of corn which we feed from their grit trough making sure they get a bit of that too. We tried them with cabbage and lettuce when we first got them so we just gave them a corn cob which goes on the end of a long chain.  Very entertaining for them, and us !  The last few days, they've been going crazy for more spinach .. so we tried cabbage again.  They spent the afternoon on the swingball and for the most part, destroyed it.  :happy:

Another problem as been cured.  Erin  clipped their wings today.  At bedtime, all three meekly trotted up the ladder into the house, good as gold and snug as bugs.  Just as well.  We're actually snowed in.  The main route into the village, the Fosseway was closed and as for our village roads, forget it.  Just like last February . . it's like living on top of a Christmas cake 

You know what ?  It's true.  All they need now is a lazyboy each with sat tv and a fridge full of beer    But as long as they continue to lay the way they do, the little darlings are earning their keep.  I offered pooh to two allotment keepers who were delighted to have secured a supply of this squishy gold !  So the veg we don't grow (we're fine for spuds and greens like chard etc) will be in full supply soon plus we've been offered sprouting tops etc for the girlies  Yippeeeeee 

Thankyou all for your helpful advice.   

[IMOmimey]

sounds like you're  sorted for the coming year. I take my spare eggs in to work, and the girls at work pay me for them, which covers the cost of their feed. Nobody wants their other product tho   (except my stinky dog, who prefers it to his dinner, but then gives it back whilst relaxing on the settee. ) Sorry TMI ?