# Chickens pecking each other.



## peggy

I just purchased three and a half month old chicks last week. 9 hens and 1 rooster. I noticed that they peck each other occasionally. I know there is a pecking order that has to be established but one little hen is getting the worst of it. The others have pecked at her tail until it is bleeding. Once they taste blood, watch out... I put Blood Stop on it and that helps for a while, they don't seem to like the smell. But when it wears off they go at her again. I feed them grain and scratch, fresh water all the time. I wondered if anyone has any remedies for keeping the others from pecking the little hen. I read that vinegar is supposed to work and also vaseline????


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## toth boer goats

Try blue spray and re-apply when it wears off..... :wink:


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## Epona142

Also to prevent future boredom pecking, what I used to do was hang up a cabbage head, just out of reach so they had to hop and peck at it.


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## Mully

Epona142 said:


> Also to prevent future boredom pecking, what I used to do was hang up a cabbage head, just out of reach so they had to hop and peck at it.


Great idea ... I am going to hang one tomorrow ...thanks should be fun to watch, I know one will fly up on it!!


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## Epona142

It's great entertainment, that's for sure LOL. You can hang it higher and higher to give more "challenge."

Great environment enrichment for them


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## newtopygmies

Stories Guide To Chickens....page 121


one tablespoon of salt per gallon of water in the drinker for one morning, then repeate the salt treatment two days later. At all other times provide plenty of fresh salt free water....it could be a salt deficiency.

Alleviate boredom by letting chickens run outside. Dim light or red light.

provide toys like shiny aluminum pie tins at head height to peck at.

spred the food out to give them something to hunt and peck at.

provide more perches...and a straw bale to explore.


I have been reading this book...I plan to get some chickens come spring.

Good Luck!!!!


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## Polarhug

We had a hen being pecked and had to separate her until she fully healed. Even then, she was bullied often and eventually died. We didn't know which specific hen was pecking or we would have culled it.

Try what other people said, but sometimes they will never stop and you have to get rid of the "pecker" before it teaches the others the bad habit.

I've also heard of a red light in the coop. Confuses them, they can't see the blood.

Or clipping / burning the bottom or top beaks back so they aren't sharp. This can be cruel if not done correctly.


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## peggy

These are great suggestions. I had heard about the cabbage one and my husband is picking up a couple cabbages tomorrow. That is too funny. Also will try the silver pie pan idea. We just put added a platform for them to jump on today and they jumped right up and seemed to enjoy the extra space. thanks guys.


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## lissablack

Check out the Temple Grandin book "Animals make us Human" It has a chapter on chickens, but is also fascinating in every way. I have no experience with chickens at all, but just read that chapter, this kind of pecking will end up with a dead chicken if it isn't resolved. 

Jan


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## liz

My mom used to use a salve similar to pine tar on the ones being pecked, IDK...Its been a very long time since she raised peeps(long time since I've been at home too) It helped heal too.


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## toth boer goats

Wow....I love the idea's....... :thumbup: had that problem in the past and now I will try these idea's .... to prevent it from happening :chin: 


thank you...peggy for posting this subject.....It is very educational and helpful....I see alot of others have this issue...... :wink: :thumb:


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## Mon Reve Farm

We use iodine spray on the ones being pecked which seems to help but I agree with everyone else.

While ours are smaller or stuck in their runs and not free ranging we follow the other recommendations with cabbage, veggies, grass, even spreading some wasted hay from the goats. Foraging keeps them busy and cuts down on the amount of feed you have to give them throughout the day.

I think someone implied and we have had situations where you just don't recognize that there is something wrong with the one being pecked and you eventually lose them. It's as if they can determine their weakest link in the flock and are trying to cull them on their own. We have had that occurr 3 different times with different breeds.


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## Paige

Do something so they are not bored. I would seperate her from the rest of them. They are born "bloodthirsty" :wink: . Dont let the yellow feathers fool you. They are'nt always as nice as they look. If you leave them in with her they might just eat her, or when she gets weak they would probably trample her. Good luck! :chick:


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## peggy

Thanks guys. I am keeping an eye in the little hen and so far they other chicks are leaving her alone. I did seperate her when they were pecking her. I wanted to spot to kind of dry up and also I have been keeping the powder on her and I think that helps. She is the smallest one and also a different color. I read somewhere that chickens do pick out odd color birds.


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## liz

Jeffers carries the salve I mentioned above.. Black Salve is the name of it.


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## Farmgirl675

From my experience if they are pecking just one and it is to the point of bleeding then there is something about that one that they don't like or isn't right.
Couple thoughts:
Are they in a coop & yard or free range? If in a coop be sure there is ample space for all, if not they will pick the weakest/smallest one and kill it. They will repeat that until they feel they have enough space!

Watch for illness, moving chickens stresses them out and makes them suceptible to illness, other chickens will know it's sick before you do. When ever I get new chicks or move mine I give them electrolytes in their water for a few days.

It may just be boredom and all the suggestions here are good for that.

Also where the feathers have been pecked out you will need to pull the pinn feathers if they are left. That will make the new one grow in.


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## AlaskaBoers

hmm! interesting

none of my birds peck each other to death, they have 5+ acres to run around and explore. but it the winter they do get fiesty with each other after 6 months of being locked in a coop with a small run.


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## Devin

I realize this is an old thread, but I wanted to share that if they are cooped you need to make sure that there is at least 2 square feet floor space per bird (more if they are larger than average). We free range ours most of the time, but there are times that are too cold/snowy to let them out. 

If they have enough space, have entertainment, etc . . . and are still pecking one bloody then there may be something wrong with the one being pecked. If more than one is being pecked and they are fighting amongst themselves then increase space, or cull birds. particularly the most agressive one.

All pecking and fighting will never go away, but they shouldn't be pecking to the point that they are bloody.


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## calendula

Chickens pecking each other can be a sign of protein deficiency. You might want to evaluate how much protein you are including in their diet. During the winter, when bugs and worms are not available to them, I like to give them whey I have left over from cheese-making. It's a good source of protein and they really like it.


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## Coyote Night Acres

We raise Polish chickens and you always have issues with head picking on them at different times of the year. We use a salve that you put on the bird being pecked, in the polish we just dab everyones head with it. Works like a charm! Although bored and lack of room along with protein and all the other things mentioned can cause picking, sometimes they just pick at the odd one because they can. Thats where the salve comes in handy. With my other chickens if we ever had a problem we would move some of the chickens so not as many were in one pen together and that usually stopped the picking. I have a rooster he's a cuckoo marans and he is such a nice roo, but he has weird toes because the austrolorp hens picked them bad durring the winter one year. He recovered just fine, but has no toe nails now. He doesn't mess up the girls backs when breeding because of this and he gets along just like any other rooster would. In fact he will fight another large rooster for getting too close to his girls doesn't even know he doesn't have toes. Hehehe


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## naturalgoats

I separated one that was really getting picked on and put her with the goats for a while... If you are going to try separating then returning you really need to separate until they are 100% healed with feathers back so their is no temptation... if that doesn't work you will either have to rehome her to another farm or just let her live with the goats.....


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## DJ4wd

I know this is an old thread ,but finally a topic I know a great deal about! We have had chickens for many years, and did well at the fair, and 4h with them. If anyone has this trouble again, here's my time tested solution.
There picking on the one for whatever reason (there's always a reason), and when the blood starts to flow it's game on! Most likely its a calcium/protein deficiency. So here is the cheap fast ,and easy fix.
Step #1 Get the grease gun, that's used to grease the tractor and after cleaning the wounded area, pat it dry and smear it on. It protects the site, and the older, or other chicks will only peck it once more lol

Step #2 Put a bowl of cat food in the coop, or run with them. Cat food is protein rich, and even though they won't eat it as fast as you may think, or even like, it will do the trick.


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## freedomstarfarm

most cat food that I know of contains some form of meat byproduct. Is that ok for chickens? I do have 1 picked on chicken with some wing feathers missing but they don't make her bleed.


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## potentialfarm

freedomstarfarm said:


> most cat food that I know of contains some form of meat byproduct. Is that ok for chickens?


I don't think it would hurt them, especially if it isn't 100% of their diet. IMO, chickens are carnivores. I have caught mine eating some nasty stuff. One time, I caught them fighting over a small (dead) bird, and just recently, they had a dead frog they were trying to devour. Yuck! I did take the dead bird away, but it makes me wonder about what else their eating when I'm not looking.


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## freedomstarfarm

I guess to some extent bugs are meat. :laugh: I hadn't thought of that.


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## DJ4wd

Before we found out, and discouraged it, our neighbors were walking across the field to through all there scraps to the chickens, including chicken lol


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## potentialfarm

DJ4wd said:


> Before we found out, and discouraged it, our neighbors were walking across the field to through all there scraps to the chickens, including chicken lol


 :shocked: That's just wrong to feed a chicken chicken!!! Actually, if it's cooked properly, it won't hurt them at all!!! 
About 2 months ago, we started dumping our compost bucket into the chicken pen. This was my thinking: First of all, our rotten dogs wouldn't stay out of the compost, but can't get in the chicken pen. Second, compost needs to be turned over continually to make it compost properly. Third, compost tends to draw bugs & worms, which chickens love! We don't throw any meat scraps into the compost anyway (seafood is not counted as meat :wink: ), which is bad for a compost pile ~ meat goes to the dogs. So far, I have found that what the chickens don't eat, they are turning over on a daily basis, causing it to break down extremely fast. The chickens think the compost bucket is a wonderful treat, and the dogs are bumming because they can't get to it.  
I probably wouldn't dare do this, except that the hen house is locked up tight every night. Otherwise, I'd worry about the compost drawing in unwelcome critters.


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## DJ4wd

Good Idea, we actually use the deep litter method, which is we use 6-10 inches of sawdust in the coop, it's very easy to clean out, plus if you stay on top of it you can scoop it out like a huge litter box. The old stuff we scoop out we throw in a huge pile, and the chickens turn it over and makes fine compost as well.


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## Dodge 'Em

I raise Old English bantams, Fawn Silver duckwings and Blue Reds. When I have a sport/splash (mostly white with splashes of color) hatched, the others seem to pick on them more. I guess its "odd man out" syndrome! LOL 
Two years ago, I rented pasture from my friend who used to own goats. She had a German shepard female. I had 5 red does all the rest were traditionals (boers). The dog killed all of my red goats, didnt ever bother the tradionals. I guess it was the different color that set her off....I wasnt too happy with her!


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