[stickywicket]

Hello again. I've got another question :oops:

I have noticed that my little plymouth rock bantam (Tinker - and she is!)is pecking the australorp bantam (Clappers) on her back near her tail where she seems to be moulting. I also saw her eat one of the feathers that came out.

They have growers pellets and grit/oyster shell available all the time so don't think they lack anything in their diet though I've only had them since Saturday. Do you think this is just because Clappers is moulting? I have seen her pull a feather out of one of the other birds as well though.

Clappers now spends most of her time on the perch in the house. Do you think this is just to avoid being pecked?  She is still coming out to eat occasionally and looks quite perky.

[Aunt Sally]

Feather pecking is often caused by boredom or to little space.

Make sure their run is big enough - as they are only banties I'm sure it's big enough.  

Give them things to do -  I tried to get mine to cook the dinner but they had digging for bugs and pecking greens higher on their list of priorities  :roll:

[mumsy]

You could use purple spray on the one thats moulting, it tends to put others off pecking at it. Good luck

[Miller]

Ours did that 4 days after picking them up from Granny Annie! (12 weeks now)

The smallest one was only just growing her tail and we got home to find a bleeding botty and completely bald bum!

We cleaned her up with water and a squirt of iodine and kept her separate for a night in an indoor rabbit hutch in a spare stable, put the hutch inside the run the following day so she was with her friends but 'peck protected' and then the following night smeared her bum in a mix of vaseline and unscented baby oil - put her back in and no further problems - tail growing very quickly now (maybe her moisturising beauty treatment helped  :shock:  )