Stop Feather Pecking & Bullying 

+Carmen CES Thank you for your feedback Carmen; it is always good to hear other people's experiences. It is worth noting (as you mention) that it is important to remove the bully, not the one being picked on. Bumpa Bits (see our other video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zmoGkyDgmdk.html) are a last resort when all else has failed, and can be a life saver.... literally.

I've never heard about a Bumpa Bit before, but what a great tool! I lean more towards "permanently" removing a serious bully though. There are so many nice chicken's in the world, the few that are just not willing to come around and be a positive addition, should be soup (just my opinion) LOL I threaten some of my more naughty chicken's every once in a while with the soup pot and they usually behave after that *chuckle*

Great idea thanks i will try this out

I should do this. My chickens are a month and two weeks old. They all grow up together but Today one chicken girl was bulling the handsom roosterboy.

Thanks for sharing this. Did you separate the hen where it didn't see the other hens? I have a bully hen and was wondering whether to keep her away completely, or kept among the others in a cage.

I'm glad that this helped you

+BiohazardCrow Yes, you're exactly right :) we always suggest looking at the environment and behaviour of the flock first; often an improvement here will sort the problem out pretty quickly, but it's best avoided in the first instance by giving them plenty of room and not over-stocking.

CotswoldChickens my chicks keep pecking there wings does that mean there cold because they keep on doing it and I don't want them to ruin there wings

Wa Go mine too what did you do?

Hello Holly, I am sorry to hear that you have had some bullying in your flock, but great news that you have sorted it out. Keepers do need to be careful with both Silkies and Polands; they both have a weak spot on the top of their skull, so an attack in that area can be nasty. Polands also have restricted visibility due to their 'hair', so you need to be super-vigilant where bullying is concerned. Clare

That was three months ago and now the pecking is back but worse, we thought everything was going fine until a minute ago I checked the old chickens to see how they were doing because I was hearing screaming sounds from them but when i got there one of my birds has half a wing missing with no feathers and dripping blood ( she is losing blood bc it was all over the walls and floor) and I noticed the other bird had blood all around her mouth and we dont know what to do. We thought about giving the nasty bird away but cus shes old and mean no one would want her so we thought about killing her by cutting her throat or any other peaceful death but we rethought about it so its kill one or keep her and let her curse pain to others What do we do

@@salfisher5312 pls kill it if not it might kill the rest

@@faithokafor1205 their dead now. They really old

Just get the polish one to build it's own coupe and run problem solved lol

How did you fix yours? Mine are all also doing it. I would be interested to know.

Hello Trinity Initially, you need to stop the bullying. You don't give much detail in your post, but you will need to fit bumpa bits to all the bullying birds to prevent this escalating into cannibalism. I made a video on this channel showing how to fit them, and they are readily available online. You also need to look at why they are bullying - is it due to lack of space in their run? Do they have lice or worms which are making them grumpy? Have you recently introduced new birds? Make sure that they have more then enough space, and plenty of food and water stations. Keep them occupied by stringing up some dark greens such as spinach in the run for them to peck at - put it just out of reach to give them some fun. I hope that you get it sorted soon before there are any serious injuries. Clare

Glad I'm not the only one Sandra! The guideline of an absolute minimum of 1msq/bird is a DEFRA recommendation, and I would agree with your suggestion.

our coop is a small building remade from a greenhouse, not that big for our dozen girls and their roo but we live in a cold climate and there is no heat in the coop. (Still it is much larger than those ready made ones we see in the feed stores.) When it is below 0 degrees fahrenheit they need to share their body heat which they do very well by cuddling close on the perches. We even get as low as -30 for several nights straight yet we have never lost a bird to winter although they do get a few small black spots of frostbite on combs. The gang also have a lovely big window that takes up a good amount of space right in front of the long perch (it is a repurposed half of a sliding glass door) and they love sitting and looking out and visitors enjoy looking in. They have a large outdoor tall fenced yard they enjoy and another larger grassy paddock connected to that so we can separate the hens from the pullets to give the young girls a break from bullying. The only situation I have found where there is no bullying at all, at least towards the chicks, is when we let a broody hen hatch some chicks. She immediately brings the babies out of her broody apartment (dog crate) and into the main flock for ranging and while they all ignore the babies, feathers fly for about a week as broody mom fights for her place in the pecking order. They are quite the characters.

Yea that Omlette coop that looks all trendy says it’s for up to 10 birds- ridiculous because most people would just take that as ok.

Have you ever used Pine Tar to keep Bully Hens from attacking the others?

Hello Melissa I am sorry that you are having bullying problems - some birds are just born mean. It sounds as if you need to pop a bumpa bit on her - see my video on how to fit it and then remove; it is easy enough, just needs a little practice. I find on my courses that most folks have it sorted after 2-3 goes. Initially leave it on for 2 weeks, then take it off and see if she has unlearned the habit of pecking. If not, then just pop another one back on. They usually reform fairly quickly, and the bit will stop any major injuries, occasionally you find a bird which is just plain evil and they can wear a bit indefinitely if this is the case... Cotswold Chickens had one at their yard who had a bit for the rest of her life because she went for people as well as other chickens! See how it goes and let me know if you need any further help. Clare

That’s what is happening to me and I don’t have a spare coop so idk what to do

They should do, being young will help. I would add some Biotin or Nettex Mineral Boost to their normal feed - you can get this biotin powder from horse feed stores. It will help with feather growth and you only need to add a little. If the feather pulling has been very persistent, then the follicles might be damaged, so new feathers won't grow. Another reason why feather pulling needs to be addressed quickly.

Hello Mia, I am so sorry to hear that, mainly because the chicken will be in a lot of pain, and also because this sort of injury is avoidable with careful introductions, and a watchful eye kept for the start of any bullying. It is really important that you get the bird to a vet immediately for pain relief and antibiotics. If you have left it like this for a while, then the bird may need culling. I am sorry. Please ensure careful introductions and quarantine of any any new birds, using separate housing. In the meantime, fit a bumpa bit (see our video on this subject) to the bully and isolate it to prevent any further damage to your flock.

+Mary Lethco Hello Mary. I would isolate the bully for a couple of days - I use a broody cage for this (see the broody video on our channel: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XK3aJwea8sc.html). The bleeding is a problem, as they will get a taste for it, and it can end nastily, so it is important to act quickly. If an anti-peck spray hasn't worked, then isolate the bully/bullies, provide plenty of food and water stations, and treat the injured hen. I would check her for any bigger wounds, but clean her off and spray with the antiseptic spray (either purple or clear) to keep the wounds clean. She will need to right diet to help her regrow any damaged feathers, so add a good poultry tonic (we use Nettex's Vit Boost) to the water, and some Biotin to the feed. Bumpa bits are worth having in stock for just this sort of situation, and are easy to fit to the perpetrators..... we have one vicious hen at the yard, who has one fitted permanently as she is bent on murder! I hope that this helps, but feel free to get back to me if you need any further help.

CotswoldChickens thank you! Taking notes as I am more into ducks but my dad is determined to get me into chickens lol. Ducks aren't this mean I've noticed and it's so much easier to deal with.

+Mary Lethco Yes, ducks have differently shaped beaks, so aren't able to peck in the same way, but drakes can be very nasty. Clare

CotswoldChickens so far mine aren't. I have several this year.

Bully the bully, that's how I work it. Feed the bully less and constantly frighten and intimidate it until it doesn't know who it is anymore.

OK, so you've attempted to integrate them too soon, and mixed chickens of different sizes or ages (not sure whether your description of 'small hens' means that they are bantams or young large fowl pullets). You will need to isolate new birds for at least 2 week, to check for any diseases, and treat them for lice, mite and worms before mixing them. They also need AT LEAST that length of time to get used to each other before you attempt to put them together. Separate them again, treat the newbies for parasites if you haven't already done this, and give them much more time.... I'm afraid that rushed introductions will inevitably end in tears. claretaylor.com

Hello I'm afraid that I won't have much idea without seeing the birds; it could be down to anything from nutrition to mites. We are based in the UK, so if you're in the area, then I'd be happy to loo at then for you. Otherwise I'd suggest taking one or more of them to a chicken-savvy vet.

+Will's Wildlife Kingdom That will be down to the size difference; it's not advisable to mix birds of vastly different sizes, especially if there are quail involved. Not just because of the bullying, but because they have different nutritional needs and behaviour. I would advise that the quail are kept in their own aviary, separate from the chickens. I hope that this helps you.

It's also not recommended that you keep chickens and quails together for disease reasons.

See the replies below...

its been several months since I introduced my chickens to the quails and all pecking has stopped , now there getting along well and when its a cold night i see the chickens sitting on the quails keeping them warm

and yes your advice helped me think about how I set up the run

Yes, I have only recently found that out too. Any brand of vet wound powder will be fine - they are all pretty similar. Clare

OK, so firstly your chicken needs to get to a vet PRONTO, it will be in immense pain and needs to be either treated or euthanased. Please act on this immediately. You also need to look at why this happens, which I discuss in the video, so look at issues such as overcrowding and poor environment, lice infestations... things like that and act on them to prevent this recurring.

Hello David We do have a video on how to clip a chicken's wing - you can find it here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0fobZbe8hSc.html do contact us if you need any further help though

Hello Not a lot to go on there... have you witnessed any bullying? When neck feathers are missing in a ring around the neck, it could be that she is reaching through netting or wearing them off on a feeder or drinker. That doesn't explain the wing feathers missing though. I would suggest that you keep an eye out for another bird feather pulling and then fit that bullying bird with a bumpa bit (see my video) . Mix some powdered Biotin (available for feed stores in with their feed to promote feather growth. While you're at it - it might be worth checking them all for lice an mites - I made a video showing how to do this. Hope this helps. but feel free to get in touch with more information if necessary. Clare

+prateek sharma Hello Prateek It's not easy if they are flappy, or you're nervous, is it? Firstly, try not to chase or frighten them as they will just get more flappy. The best time to pick them up when you are learning, is at night when they have gone into roost; give them about half an hour to settle down, then go out and gently lift them off the roosting bars for a bit of handling. If you need to handle them during the day, then it is best to get them all in the run first, and use a short-handled landing net to just scoop them up. I find that mine respond really well to a handful of mealworms; they just come up to me and I can slip my hands over them, holding the wings down. I hope that this helps.

Thank you so much for your guidance .really appreciate it :)

Yes, I'm afraid that it will be far too crowded with that many birds, and you may then find that you get bullying, and other anti-social behaviour. The general DEFRA guidelines for space is for an absolute minimum of AT LEAST 1 square metre per bIrd in the run, although I would aim for far more space than that. It is also worth bearing in mind that there will be days, especially in winter, when they can't free range, so will need enough room in their run to allow for this. You really only have enough space for 4 birds in your current run set-up. Anthony at Cotswold Chickens makes up runs and panels, so give him a shout if you need extra room. Clare Taylor

I will try to convince my parents to expand the cage, they seem to think it's alright as it is but I am worried for when they grow bigger. thankyou.

I've just now talked to them about this and the problems it might cause and they just don't listen to me.

You are quite right - it sounds as if the run that you have is only big enough for 3 hens, but I would need to see your set-up to be sure.The absolute minimum space needed in the run is one square metre per hen, and they really need far more than that, or they will start to exhibit anti-social behaviour such as bulllying or pecking. Cotswold Chickens make run extensions, so if you're in the UK, you could contact Anthony on aagoodlifeco@gmail.com to ask for prices.

Hello I am sorry to hear about your problems, a little 'mucking about' while they sort out their pecking order is normal, but this sounds to be a bit more than that. Primarily, I would ask you to look at their environment and especially that they have enough room, and some objects in their area to keep them occupied. I would create a temporary partition in their brooder, which they can see through, so some netting is ideal. Pop the 2 pekins in there and plus one of the more docile of the others. It isn't easy when you mix breeds as they sometimes are less accepting on the ones which just look different. Pop a teeny bit of nettex vit boost tonic in their water as the B vits in this will help with stress and to calm them down. Let me know how you get on. Clare

@@CotswoldChickens Thank you this was EXTREMELY helpful

Hello Zubair, I am sorry to hear about your friend's lack of care to those birds. Without seeing the injured ones, it is hard for me to tell what needs to be done, but it sounds as if you are treating them well enough. Ordinarily, I would have advised that they were checked over by a poultry vet to make sure there were no broken bones, and for painkillers if necessary. I would imagine that the hen with the damaged vent will at least need painkillers and antibiotics; if the injury is more serious, then she may need culling.

@@CotswoldChickens So nice to hear from you. I'll take pictures of their wounds tomorrow morning and try posting. Your advise on additional treatment I must is highly appreciated and shall look forward after posting pics.

They may well have been pecking because they are moulting and getting a bit grumpy with each other, it could also be due to a lack of space - with chickens in the UK being under housing orders because of Avian Influenza lockdown, they will need a much bigger run than you'd expect. Ideally, I would separate out the bully for a few days to se if that breaks the habit, but the best recourse is to fit bumpa bits to all the suspects for about 3 weeks and see if that works. See video on this channel for details. Clare Taylor

@@CotswoldChickens ok thanks

Sorry to hear about your little bird - I would fit bumpa bits to any birds that are bullying her. Crested birds usually have a weak spot on the

CotswoldChickens thank you very much!

Hello Brilee It may be that they detect an illness or weakness in her. I would put one of the bullies in a broody cage (see my video on this) within the run for a couple or 3 days to see if this alters the dynamic and pecking order. In any case, I would fit bumpa bits to the bullies so that at least they can't wound her. It's hard to see exactly what the issue is without seeing them myself, but also check them for lice and mites and worm them - parasites can make them grumpy with each other.

+6400az Hello, this is a difficult one to answer without seeing the bird, but my guess is that another chicken is doing it, possibly because they can see mites on the bird's head. As I say, I would need to look at it before being able to answer more definitively.

+CotswoldChickens Thank you very much for your prompt response as I am very worried about this. I don't think they are mites as I have checked and rechecked , also the coop is sprayed periodically with mites and lice kill. The thing that worries me most is my favorite chicken, a beutifull, fuzzballl white silkie, has not produced pinfeathers . The other one did and it lost them again. I have separated them since this happened. Is it possible a mouse may be nibbling on them .

+6400az Hello again, thank you for getting back to me; this is a real conundrum, and without seeing the birds in their home environment, and interacting, it is difficult to see exactly what is happening, although the fact that the feathers disappeared almost overnight makes me think that the other bird is pulling them out. Again, you would need to catch her in the act to be sure. Personally, I would fit a bumpa bit to the feather puller (see ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zmoGkyDgmdk.html for help with this) to avoid any further damage. It is odd that they aren't growing back any quills/new feathers, unless they are also being pulled out. I would look at their nutrition and general health to help with this: make sure that they have been wormed recently with Flubenvet, and are clear of lice and mites (check around the vent for these). I would ensure that their diet is kept to just their pellets or mash, with little or no treats, but add powdered Biotin (available from horse feed stores) to their pellets, at a rate of about 1 tablespoon to 2 litres of feed. You may find that it binds better if you drizzle a little cod liver oil over the pellets first to make them very slightly sticky. Good luck, and let me know how you get on.

+CotswoldChickens Well, it's been a day of learning....and great disappointment ! Although I provided them with a wide diet and make sure they a re lice free,I will definitely look into the advice you've provided. Thank you. Regardless, I have found the culprit. Four months ago I was given 1 chukar partridge egg , which was hatched by one the chickens, raised and lived with the flock just fine. I like to watch my chickens almost daily . Pull up a chair and just enjoy them. There has'nt been any problem whatsoever, until I watched them with my binoculars from the porch. It's the chukar partridge. It just sneaks up to them , and quickly snaps at them. It's already in a different pen, but tomorrow it goes up for sale. Thanks again.

Then I'd suggest that you fit him with a Bumpa Bit - see our other video on this.

My rooster only pecks the leading hen out of the 6 hens. He won't let her be with all of them together poor girl. He must know she's top of pecking order.

so sorry

Horrible. How long did the hen live for after getting pecked? One of my gals has had her vent pecked. I’m hoping she’ll be ok. Was at vet and got an antibiotic shot today.

By the way I have 13 chickens

Hi Hailey You do need to be very careful with this as they could easily kill her; is she the smallest/only Frizzle? A flock will sometimes pick on a bird which either looks different or is smaller. There are 2 options here: 1. Buy another Frizzle about the same size as her, Keep them in isolation together while they get to know each other, then introduce them as a pair, but out bumpa bits (see my video) on any aggressors first. 2. Keep the little Frizzle in her own coop, take one of the other hens out to be with her - preferable one nearer her size of friendlier than the other. Put her in when the Frizzle has had a about a week in there first so that she's in her own surroundings. Once they have settled, introduce those 2 as a pair. Tackle any introductions very slowly and double-up on the food and water stations. Keep me posted

CotswoldChickens I already have two frizzles and they were both getting beat up so we separated them and it’s going better but I don’t think that we should let them stay with the others so we have been keeping them in a good sized dog cage with hay and let them roam around in the day, issue is now I don’t know how to make sure both of the flocks get out the pen time cause I can’t mix them

@@Grilledcheese813 Hello Haily I agree that you should separate them to prevent any serious damage. I would let the others see them through the mesh of their run so that they are habituated to the sight of each other. Are you able to use some fencing to create a separate free-ranging area for each flock? When you let them out to free range, double up on food and water stations, and also give the Frizzles somewhere to hide, so some leafy branches propped up in a corner. Fit bumpa bits to the aggressors (see my video) so that no serious damage can be done and supervise them for the first few times. I don't know the history of your integration of the Frizzles with the rest of the flock, but if this is done too quickly, or you are introducing birds of different sizes/ages, then it can be difficult. Personally, I wouldn't recommend mixing large fowl and bantams, especially Frizzles or Silkies as they can't fly to get out of the way. I hope that you manage to resolve this.

We don’t have fencing but we will get some and they all grew up together at the same age, we have frizzles Rhode Island reds and two cot chins. We got them all at the same age but the frizzles are the only ones getting beat up the cot chins and Rhode Island reds are doing good together and when we put the other on the outside of the cage they started pecking at the cage so we definitely can’t let them with the frizzles unless we do chicken wire around the area. The wounds seem to be healing better after we cleaned them and let them rest so that’s a good sign. I don know why they would be fighting if they grew up together all hens with 1 rooster but we keep the rooster separated so they don’t fight. There’s one problem with the chicken wire, we have a coyote issue and we can’t afford the chicken wire since we have so many bills to pay. I don’t think it would be good to let the Rhode Island reds and cotchins to peck at the cage trying to get the frizzles cause it’s been bad enough the cyotes at night have been freaking the chickens I don’t want the other flock to start harassing them through the cage

I owuld pop them in 'jail' for about 3 days if you have a bully. Set the crate up with food and water and they will be fine.

@@CotswoldChickens What if you have multiple bully? We have seperate space for my tame chickens and seperate for the normal/not tame ones. I have 2 chickens (in the no tame ones area) who are the lowest on the pecking order because something wrong with thier eyes and you know, they can't really win a fight/defend themself. We have over 100 chickens but all of them bullied those 2 so I put them in the tamed ones area, but the result is the same. Now those 2 bullied ones in a cage with each other among the tame ones in the garden (so they can't hurt them, but they are with them and see the bullied ones trought the cage). And also they don't pecking thier feathers, they just chase them and attack them for fun. Sadly one of the bullied hen (grown hen) is so small even the 4-6 months old chicks is almost bigger than her, even the CHICKS are higher in the pecking order than a HEN.

@@D3STRUCTOR_ Are all your chickens in the one area/run? I would advise breaking them into smaller groups if that is the case, and fitting bumpa bits (see my video) to those who are causing damage to any others. Because the victims are handicapped, they will always be low in the pecking order and I don't think that you can expect them to integrate with another flock. I hope this helps Clare Taylor

@@CotswoldChickens Where the tamed ones are that area is the same with the "growing up" area, there are many young chicks and guinea fowls. My chickens always accepts the young ones, they encountered so many young ones before, so I hope they will accept those 2 bullied chickens too. Some of my tamed adult chickens already accepted them. Important thing in that area there are no roosters.

Sorry to hear that, in the first instance you will need to separate out the aggressor before you end up with a dead chicken. You can use a broody crate (as seen in our brooding chicken video) as a temporary measure. I suspect that the problem is caused by overcrowding as we say in the video, and it sounds from your description as if your coop and run might be far too small, so they are getting on each other's nerves. You need to allow an absolute minimum of 1 square metre, but certainly much more, in the run per chicken. The size of the housing is less critical as they are only really in there in the night time. If you think about how annoyed you get with other travelers when you are crowded on an underground train, then that is a good analogy.

CotswoldChickens ok thank you so much I will try to make it bigger!Again thank you for replying!😃

CotswoldChickens also can I ask you.When I also put them outside were there is plenty of space to run around and stretch there legs the aggressive bully just follows the other one and then pecks her eye.And the one who is getting bullied will just lay down under something with her eyes closed.Do you think that could just be because the bully is just an aggressive chicken?

Possibly, but it is more likely that she has formed a habit, possibly attracted by a shiny eye, or a bug on the other bird. As I said yesterday, isolate the bully for a while and also fit a Bumpa Bit (see our video on the subject). You also need to look at the amount of room in their run and coop.

CotswoldChickens Today my mom wanted to check on the chicken and her eye.She said that if it looked cloudy she was blind and if it looked fine then..she was fine. She checked and one looks a tiny bit cloudy but still fine and when she looked at the other one....it was cloudy. My mom is Mexican so she is really used to 'if something is wrong with the animal we eat it' so if something was wrong with one of the chickens they just ate it. So she told me that the chicken is suffering right now because it can not see so it can not see its food or water.Once we guided her to her food and water she drink and eat really fast.What should we do if the chicken is really blind? Should we take it to the vet so they can figure it out? I suggested that to my dad but he said they can't do much except tell us if she is blind or not which we already know she is. I am just hoping she isn't because I love that chicken so much💜💔

It's probably best not to, there may well be ingredients which could harm a chicken. Stick to one which is made for poultry and make sure that you get the dosage right.

Hi, sorry to hear that - is he bullying them or are the wounds caused when he mates them? If he is bullying and pecking them, then you need to fit him with a bumpa bit - see our other videos for a guide on how to fit one. If the injuries are caused by mating, then your would need to restrict his access to them... or find a kinder cockerel! You don't need to have a cockerel in your flock for them to continue laying, so you might just want to try without one if he is being vicious.

Hello Jose Yes, you codul create a different flock, and that would be the ideal solution. Sadly though, not everyone has the resources or space to do this.

Not advised!

Have a look at my video on fitting bumpa bits - that will prevent any bloodshed.

Do you want to just catch them or you want them to be tame and loyal to you?

@@D3STRUCTOR_ tame. They are more friendly now that they're getting older

@@skliros9235 If you want to tame chickens Then you have to raise them when They are little, not Just give them food and water. Pet them, Kiss them, love them They will be loyal like a dog. If you want to tame adult chickens Don't worry, you are not late. Be very soft and kind to them, try make them to trust you, give thier favorite food with your hand. If They don't accept it Then sit down and put the food close to your hand or leg. Repeat it, more than one in a day and everyday. If They are getting more confident with you try to pet them very slowly. Do NOT Pick them up, if They not allow it because you will instandly break thier trust. With this tactic I tamed and andult chicken in 3 days. How tame the chicken is depends on its personality. There are some my chicken who flies on my Back, or wants me to Pick her up and carry her, some of them Just chilling around me They sit on my laps or next to me. Even you can talk with them, if you Say "Pak pak" to them They will awnser. I tamed in my life around 40 chicken some of them when They was adult, some of them when They was growing up some of them at when They was tiny babies.

@@D3STRUCTOR_ thanks. I bought a dozen baby chicks to raise. They were friendly when young, then it seems they started to get real nervous of me after a few weeks. But now I got them in a large outdoor coop, and they are being more friendly.

@@skliros9235 That's good, oh also I forgot to mention. Try to be around them more. I have a chicken who became tame/friendly just because I was around lol.

While your comment is partly true, in that they do need protein as they come into lay; this is provided for amply by their growers, and then layers rations, so if they are fed these and very little other 'treats', then they will have more than enough to cater for their needs. Feather pulling isn't caused by a need for protein - it is just a habit formed by (usually bored) chickens, which have a very simple neural pathway where habits are concerned, they are also great mimics, so will copy what they see another bird doing. Feathers are usually eaten off the ground as chooks will pluck at and try to eat almost anything they find... including hair toggles! Often pulled feathers aren't even eaten as chickens don't have the teeth necessary to chew and digest them. Keratin (main constituent of feathers) isn't convertible back into protein. It's rather like the idea of us eating our own hair or nails for extra protein - they have more or less the same make-up as feathers. The feather pulling for protein thing is a bit of an urban myth, and seems plausible as specific types of protein are needed to make up feathers. This doesn't work in reverse though.

Hello Sorry to hear that. Did you introduce the new chickens to the flock slowly and do they have plenty of space to prevent overcrowding? The first and most important thing is to remove the injured bird (the others will be excited by the smell of blood) and treat its wounds. I would keep it separated for now, until the wounds have healed, but within sight of the others so that you won't have so many problems when you re-introduce it. Try a set-up like the broody cage in our other video on broody chickens. Put this in the run so that the others can see the bird, but not injure it. When you come to introduce it back to the flock, use a partitioned part of the run and choose another less aggressive bird from the flock to keep it company and so that you aren't introducing just one bird back. Take the introduction very slowly, if you have problems again, then fit the bullies with bumpa bits as per our video on the subject. Hope that this helps

I havr the same situation, but it is a new chicken. I seperated the hurt one from the others, to let the wound heal, and I let them freerange together and warmed them up to the coop.

Sucks

+Caleb Knox Hi Caleb, sounds as if you have had some problems as well. As you say, some amount of fighting and display behaviour is normal when introducing new birds, and as the pecking order within the flock shifts. What is important is that introductions are taken slowly and with separate housing at first, and that the situation is carefully monitored and any necessary actions taken promptly to prevent any injuries.

+CotswoldChickens only time I seen it where they wouldn't peck is when thy were raised together and has been in a pin their whole lifev

+CotswoldChickens yeah people tend to think its animal cruelty

+Caleb Knox Fighting between birds usually starts as part of the pecking order, which is normal, but can be affected by other elements such as lack of space. There's no cruelty intended, but a habit soon forms and it is easy for a bird to be pecked to death if the owner isn't vigilant. The best recourse is to separate the bully for a few days to see if that helps, then fit a bumpa bit if it doesn't. That will prevent any further injuries or even death.

+Shenlong Yang I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your hen. While pecking and bullying isn't a desired activity, it isn't 'abnormal' as such. It isn't unheard of for a bird to die from their injuries, but it is best if the situation which encouraged the bullying was avoided in the first place. In most cases, this is due to environmental problems or husbandry, so it is essential to allow the birds more than enough room in their run, give them enough feeders and drinkers, and also to watch their interaction on a regular basis so that you can spot this and nip it in the bud before the bullying escalates. See our video here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zmoGkyDgmdk.html on how to fit a bumper bit, which will prevent any serious injuries

CotswoldChickens Recrntly our chickens “bullying problem” have led to the death of 2 of our hens and their stomach is exposed.May I please have advice on what to do?

I would give them a couple more weeks, and then take it slowly.

CotswoldChickens ok thank you I will take them out now

The emphasis there was on the word 'could'; bullying can be caused by many different factors, and this video is to make you aware of some of the possible issues and how to solve them.

There are a great many anti-feather pecking products on the market, some more effective than others. The Nettex product is intended as a deterrent, however (as we say in the video) if the aggressor persists in feather pulling or pecking, then very little will deter them, and we would recommend fitting a bumpa bit soonest to avoid any further damage. If you have a problem within your flock, it could be down to a rogue bird, but is most likely due to overcrowding or boredom, so you would need to look at their environment.

Interesting comment; the group is man made in that they may not have been put together otherwise, but it is very similar to a regular farm flock - which would probably also be 'assembled' in the same way, although backyard keepers may not have a cockerel. There's usually squabbling of some sort in any flock as the pecking order naturally shifts, this is completely normal, but can be exacerbated if the owner doesn't allow enough space in the run, or any other number of factors. A cockerel will often promote a little peace and harmony in a flock, but this isn't necessarily the case.

Great video! I wonder though if aggressive behaviour would occur if chickens are completely free to roam? Is there less aggression, maybe none at all, or does it make no difference?

Which is a clear example of why we need to be vigilant for any possible bullying, and act swiftly to prevent serious injury and death. Improve your flock's environment and make sure that they have enough space, segregate any bullies for a while and fit them with bumpa bits (see my video here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zmoGkyDgmdk.html) to prevent cannibalism.

@@CotswoldChickens its really unbelievable she is still alive I will put a video of her on my channel right after I get out of school

@@GreaterBayArea It is really important that you get her t the vet for treatment immediately, rather than taking videos. Please don't leave her to suffer.

@@CotswoldChickens yeah well she is still alive separate from the others although we dont have money for the vet we will sacrifice her Saturday