[Debz]

My daft hens have chosen the coldest week of the year to start to moult (Warrens bought at point of lay in August).  My problem is that they are pecking Marge and making her bleed and now won't give her a moments peace.  I ended up feeling so bad for her that yesterday I put her in a box in the kitchen and today she is playing in the greenhouse.  What can I do to stop the others pecking her more?  Is there anything I can do in the future to prevent it happening again?  I tried the purple spray on Saturday but that didn't seem to stop them.  I really hate to see them hurt.

[Vember]

Hi Debz
Sorry for Marge and that the purple spray hasn't worked
I remembered reading that Jelly has used Tea tree cream in the past.
Found this :

Hi GrannieAnnie,
Glad your chooks are getting sorted. I mentioned this before but worth mentioning again for anyone interested. Whenever my chooks get a bloodied wound i clean it with antisceptic wash and smother it in Teatree cream. Teatree acts quickly and is a great healer and the other chooks dont like the smell or taste so it stops them pecking each other. It works on all my animals.

Might be worth giving it a try

Sarah

[LittleRedHen]

Where can I get tea tree cream?  Can I make it myself with tea tree essential oils?  Anyone have a recipe?   

[GrannieAnnie]

Try mixing it with a little vaseline.  I mix the cheap vaseline stuff that is £1 for a bit pot with liquid paraffin, but sometimes even that doesn't work.  Some people swear by stockholm tar, but I've never used it.

We have 200 8 week old Babcock's and seveal of them have started to peck the tail feathers of some of the others, even though I've sprayed with purple and put vesline on them.  But they have plenty of food and water, CD's hanging up to keep them busy, perches to jump on and a bale of straw to jump on and over. 

The door to the run is open, but they stand in the doorway looking at the snow and won't go out!

I've got another pot of vseline, so I must mix some tea tree oil in nd see if that helps.

[Bodger]

I have chicken specs which are designed to stop this very thing from happening. You only have to ask and I'll send you some.