And now...chicken jail.

[MontyJ]

I was out checking the chicks a little bit ago. DW noticed that one appeared to have blood on the tail feathers. I put on my glasses and had a look. Sure enough, there it was. I gathered the chick up and had a look. It's being pecked right around the tail feathers. After close examination, there is another also being pecked. Both are Amberlinks. So, I watched for awhile. I noted that a few of the other chicks were pecking them, but one Australorp was relentless. It seemed to hunt down the most injured chick and pow, pow, pow...over and over again. The poor chick would move away, but the 'lorp just wouldn't stop.

So, I took an empty box, got out the temp feeder and water bowls and moved the spare light over it. Made a lid out of chicken wire and bulldog clips and tada...chicken jail. The offender is now in solitary confinement until I can get some blue coat tomorrow.

Can I put neosporin on the wound to help it heal? Then cover it with blue coat?

The weather is finally supposed to break by the weekend. When it does, I am opening the back of the coop and expanding the brooders to give everybody some more room.

 

[baymule]

Chicken jail My mean girls are the 3 red sex links-they peck tail feathers out of 2 of the black sex links. Ever wonder where the expression "pecking order" came from? Well now ya' know.

Never use any kind of ointment with "caine" in it on a chicken, like lidocaine or anything else. The "caine" is supposed to be lethal to chickens. The neosporin and blu-kote should be fine.

 

[MontyJ]

Thanks Bay. I didn't know about the "caine" thing. I'll try to find the blue kote tomorrow. They don't have it at TSC, but the feed store near Wheeling might. Until then "Buttbeak" is staying in her cell. Lately I have been trying to remember why I wanted chickens. In a few more weeks I will be ready to vent some frustration and get my revenge. I was going to process four of the older CX as cornish game birds today, but now I can't because the whole flock is on Duramycin. The voices in DW's head are asking for BBQ this weekend. She wants ribs, but I think I'll throw a store bought chicken on a grill just so I can fan the smell towards the coop...I'll be grinning the entire time too

 

[catjac1975]

I would guess that the aggressive one is a rooster. If you have too many roosters they will gang up on one and mate it to death. Some breeds are worse than others. As you have seen it starts early. The good thing is they will also protect the hens.I came upon a rooster standing on top of a hen like a kid playing king of the hill. It was my last buff orpington so I know she is quite old. I could barely tell what breed she was she was so dirty and disheveled. You can tell when a grown bird is having a hard time before they get too bad. They lose weight fast because they are chased off the feed. I was able to put her in a different house where I only have a few birds and she is currently thriving. I have never had very good luck saving a hen that was in the condition that she was. I think the ointment will be fine.

 

[Carol Dee]

. The voices in DW's head are asking for BBQ this weekend. She wants ribs, but I think I'll throw a store bought chicken on a grill just so I can fan the smell towards the coop...I'll be grinning the entire time too

Monty, you are just plain EVIL !!!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

Monty, i can't remember if you have a red light in your brooder/coop? the red light is supposed to help stop cannibalism in the chicks. they can't see any blood on other chicks because of the color.

 

[MontyJ]

Yes, the lights are red. Appearantly, these chicks don't know that red lights are supposed to stop it. I just caught another 'lorp doing the same thing. So Buttbeak has a cellmate for the evening. They're just a couple of jailbirds

It's called behavior modification Carol Wait until I "accidentally" carry a bag of Kingsford into the coop instead of chicken feed. I can't wait to invite a few of them to a nice late springtime BBQ

 

[MontyJ]

I would guess that the aggressive one is a rooster. If you have too many roosters they will gang up on one and mate it to death. Some breeds are worse than others. As you have seen it starts early. The good thing is they will also protect the hens.I came upon a rooster standing on top of a hen like a kid playing king of the hill. It was my last buff orpington so I know she is quite old. I could barely tell what breed she was she was so dirty and disheveled. You can tell when a grown bird is having a hard time before they get too bad. They lose weight fast because they are chased off the feed. I was able to put her in a different house where I only have a few birds and she is currently thriving. I have never had very good luck saving a hen that was in the condition that she was. I think the ointment will be fine.

It is very possible that some or even all of the australorps are roos. They were straight run birds. I'm beginning to be sorry I bought them. They are far more aggressive than the others.

 

[thistlebloom]

Yes, the lights are red. Appearantly, these chicks don't know that red lights are supposed to stop it. I just caught another 'lorp doing the same thing. So Buttbeak has a cellmate for the evening. They're just a couple of jailbirds

It's called behavior modification Carol Wait until I "accidentally" carry a bag of Kingsford into the coop instead of chicken feed. I can't wait to invite a few of them to a nice late springtime BBQ http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd456/Montyjw/smiley_bbq_zps705d5c5b.gif

I'm not sure chickens are familiar with behavior modification Sheriff Monty. I took a cookbook out to the hens and read all the good chicken recipes to them and they just stared at me. Still didn't get any eggs.

 

[canesisters]

You might do better to move the bleeding chick(s) instead of the pickers. As long as there is visible blood, someone is going to give it a taste - they ARE little velociraptors after all..