Cold weather pecking?

BrianR32GTR · Post by **BrianR32GTR** » Mon Jan 04, 2016 10:07 pm

Hey there everyone,

Came home from work today to find one of my girls beaten up pretty badly. All my hens were in good shape except for my one barred rock (oreo).

She was bleeding from her comb and even had some pecking done to the top of her head which had started drawing a minimal amount of blood. Im not sure if it has anything to do with the sudden change of temperature lately or what. Ive never had any of my hens peck each other this bad ever! The odd peck here and there to establish who gets food first is normal in my flock but never to this extent.

I brought her inside and im cleaning the wound every hour or two with a normal saline solution and ive also been applying aloe vera periodically. Any other suggestions to help her heal would be appreciated. I was going to use peroxide but have heard mixed reviews so I thought normal saline would be the safer route.

Any opinions on why she was being beaten up? Is this normal when the weather changes so drastically? It is the first colder day of the year. Went from Positive temperatures to -20 with windchill. Im thinking maybe she got pecked hard once which drew blood and then the sight of blood started a riot and caused the downward spiral.

I just want to solve the problem so I dont come home to another injured hen or even worse a dead one.

Coop has sufficient room, and they spend most of there time outside which also has sufficient space and has never posed a problem in the past. The run is now winterproofed with plastic wrapped to keep drafts out too.

Anyways, Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!

Post by **Killerbunny** » Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:19 am

Put some BluKote on the injuries to stop the pecking from the others. Can't help on the reason for pecking.

Post by **WLLady** » Tue Jan 05, 2016 7:59 am

bluekote or polysporin....whatever you can to cover the blood....like KB said, i also have no clue on the pecking...maybe someone is just ticked that the weather changed and she was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. my birds were all a touch cranky this morning at -20...can't say i blame them really. so was i!

ross · Post by **ross** » Tue Jan 05, 2016 9:20 am

PMC ... Pre Menstrul Chicken ....

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Jan 05, 2016 2:15 pm

I think the cold has made them bitchy- I saw one of my buckeyes scrap with a cornish today, usually they never ever fight.

BrianR32GTR · Post by **BrianR32GTR** » Wed Jan 06, 2016 9:14 pm

Thanks for the responses. We have tried numerous things and the pecking has seemed to stop. Not sure how it happened but the main thing is that it has stopped.. I think maybe they were bored so we have given them plenty of things to entertain them. Hung some lettuce for now and Im going to get a bale of hay on the weekend which should keep them occupied!

Thanks again folks!

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 2:26 pm

Im having the same issue now with pecking. Their run is covered and I have tarps all around it, plenty of room so they must be bored. What do others do stop this? I can put lettuce in or hang cabbage is that it? Where do you find blue one?

Jaye · Post by **Jaye** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:48 pm

TSC sells Blukote and most feed stores do too.
I's say cabin fever, AKA bored with being more confined than in the warmer months.
Hanging cabbage is good, flock block helps, and I hang greens in suet holders to the run fence.

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 5:18 pm

Thanks just got bluekote and treated 3 birds. a lot have no feathers by their vent and the three had bald spots just before their tail feathers. The one does look like she is molting, loss of neck feathers. Poor things. I just put bluekote on the spots before their tail feathers.

Post by **Killerbunny** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 6:49 pm

Check very carefully for mites and crawlies. Wrap a piece of scotch tape around a finger and dab in the affected area then look under a magnifying glass or jewellers loupe.

Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)