My poor Russell rooster has had no bum feathers for months and months now (way before we moved). The hens keep pecking them out and I have no idea how to stop them. He just lets them peck them out. I reckon he should peck them right back, but he's so compliant. Now I know where the term 'henpecked' comes from, the poor bloke.
My dad met him for the first time last month and asked, "What's that? A new breed of bare-arsed rooster?"
There seems to be lots of remedies out there on the net, but since I don't have net access at home yet, I would like to hear from anyone who has any tried and successful cures.
Any chicken experts out there?
2 comments:
Poor Russel! Your Dad´s comment made me laugh, though! :-)
Hmm... found this one:
Aggression is natural with chickens. They have what is called a "pecking order" which means certain hens are the boss and other hens are subordinate to them. If a lower ranked hen gets out of line the boss hen (s) will peck at them often pulling feathers out.
Another reason is when a hen is sick or weak from age, other hens will attack and harass them.
If space is at a premium in the coop the birds will peck at their neighbors trying to get them to move elsewhere.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_chickens_peck_each_others_feathers_off#ixzz1HvOqvub4
And this one (maybe they just want some salt & vinegar chips like me???)
Stop chickens from pecking each other: Put a little vinegar in their drinking water.
Or this:
If you have a problem with chickens being pecked then put talcum powder on where they are pecking, it really works it cured mine in a day and the feathers are starting to grow back fine now.
Or:
Here's what I've tried: 1Tbsp vinegar/1gal H2O, FlockBlock(a huge block of seed that's now in the coop so they can peck away), fresh veggies hung in the coop (broc, celery, cauliflower, etc), and Scarlex scarlet oil spray wound dressing (antiseptic, germicidal, fungicidal).
http://www.tipking.co.uk/tip/4647.html
Hope one of these helps the poor guy!
Thanks Iris. I don't think space is an issue as we have a decent size chookyard. I know it's definitely a reason in battery farms though.
It's funny how the hens would be picking on the rooster though. He's twice their size and definitely not sick. I hope he stands up for himself soon and gives them a good peck back.
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