open wound on chicken

[K M Edgar]

Those open wounds happen when birds are confined in too small an area.  If you have a larger space ...... the bird that is pecked has greater area in which to seek refuge.  A slight smear or spray of Neosporin works quite fine.   I had a 2 month old "Law Gray" bloodline American Gamefowl cockerel with a "wide open skinless wound" on the backside of his head - skull caused by his mother ..... who was ready to be rid of her chicks.  I released them all from their brooder cage.  Their mother Gamefowl hen ran off with the nearest rooster in my yard and the slightly injured cockerel with his 2 pullet "sisters" ran off in another direction.  None of them have looked back.  Its been 3 weeks and the whole group are happy campers.  In fact; the mother Gamefowl hen is already back on another clutch of eggs.  She is a Roundhead Gamefowl bloodline ..... I swapped out her eggs and substituted a 1 doz clutch of "Miner Blue" Gamefowl eggs I bought from a reputable breeder in Texas.  I am in Washington State.  I should have several more chicks within 19 more days.

Kelly in Moxee

[Toni Pralle]

I don't agree that pecking happens in a too small area. I've had two different hens beat nearly to death this year, out of the blue, and everyone free ranges. Reintroducing them was 50% success rate. Pecking order. For what ever reason, one of the hens decided she didn't like someone and the rest joined in. These hens are old of assorted ages, none less than 4 years. They're my lawn decorations that lay eggs. The worthless rooster sometimes helped the aggressors.

--

Toni in Iowa USA
************************************************ 

 Feminism in 2014 comes from the same place it always has: the radical notion that women are people.
************************************************

[K M Edgar]

Toni, Not everyone free ranges. Try confining your flock of old farts.  You'll have them culled down to a few within a week. LOL

Kelly in Moxee

--
--
This message came from the "dom_bird" discussion group. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: Dom_bird+u...@googlegroups.com

---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "dom_bird" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to dom_bird+u...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[terry]

I free ranged my hens before the raccoon attacks happened but my last flock just got into the habit of pecking even free ranged and in a large barn.  I wish i had gotten rid of the hen who started the pecking right off.   

Having a large area is ideal and pens that give them space, still the pecking order prevails.  Most counties in California now allow hens in the back yard, usually up to 4 hens, no roos, and the yards most people have in California subdivisions are sadly pretty limited in space.   Space is very helpful, especially if you can separate the peckers from the "nice" hens.

Personally i have no problems with chickens wandering in neighborhoods, i had roos from time to time and they didn't bother me either, i like the sounds of birds and animals rather than sirens and cars.

[terry]

Some hens are just determined peckers even when they are small, just like egg eating they get into and will not stop.  

On Wednesday, September 3, 2014 6:10:13 AM UTC-7, T wrote:

[K M Edgar]

Egg eating hens may simply be due to the bird having a deficient diet ..... lacking in calcium.  Too often I read of folks who feed their hens bread ....... boatloads of sweet bread.  The birds love it but they also need to eat a healthy balanced diet.  The birds can load up on bread at the expense of vitamins and minerals they need.  The pelletized feed sold in 50 lb bags is a balanced diet......you can be sure that table scraps are not.

--