Quorn

[Mikey]

Does anyone know of an alternative to quorn that I can feed to my chooks as a protein boost first thing in the morning. Bluebell my only current layer is pecking feathers out of the other two. I've introduced some activities into their coop, hanging veg, a mirror, and some logs, but I want to give her a protein boost to see if this will stop her pecking.

I can find a 15kg bag of Soya mince for £26, which seems pretty good to me.

[Scarlet]

If she is young, I think it is probably a habit not lack of protein. Try a bumper bit on her beak to stop her

[Mikey]

Whats that scarlet?

[Scarlet]

Sorry! didn't state the obvious, a plastic clip that fits in the nostrils, and over the beak

I have never used them but it might be a solution until it falls off. I don't think they are particularly nice but if she is young it may just break the habit. I have seen several feather peckers (usually hybids) and often it is best to remove her from your flock if you can't solve the problem within a few weeks.
Getting a cockeral might be the answer!
Bumper Bits for Chickens - Black Plastic - 120 | eBay UK

[motherhen]

PLEASE!!!!! give her the best layers mash or pellet that you can afford and stop all other tit bits she is probably desperate, please do not stick bit lumps of black plastic in her nose!! How did she get the habit?
Hybrids on a poor diet will peck as they need a constant source of protein to lay an egg a day.

[RichmondHens]

Have they got enough space? Most pecking problems are caused by overcrowding and given sufficient room the problem usually disappears. The habit may well have started at the breeders where lots of growers are kept together. As MH says layers pellet should provide all the protein they need, they shouldn't really need a protein "boost" unless they are ill and off their usual feed.

[Scarlet]

Feather pecking within weeks of having them is a sign that its a habit, reducing titbits at this stage will give her less to do and inturn will give her more time to feather peck.
How long have you had them? Perhaps you could take her back

[motherhen]

Sorry Scarlet I beg to differ, I find stress from incorrect diet or as RH says overcrowding, you shouldn't have to feed scraps to eleviate boredom we have over 300 hens at different ages and kept in alsorts of situations with no pecking what so ever and not waste is fed at all.

[Mikey]

Not sure quite what I started here, but so that there is no misunderstanding I will clarify some details.

My three birds have been with me for 3 weeks, and the pecking started virtually straight away. I thought it was just them sorting out the hierachy at first. The one doing the pecking was in a different enclosure at our suppliers, and was older than the other two, so I guessed she was just setting out her stall from the off.

7 days ago I sprayed the rear of one which was being stripped of her feathers, and as far as I could see it seemed to improve the situation, and she became more confident. Then Thursday of last week I watch the other bird stand still while the bully pulled out her rear feathers, and decided enough was enough. Both were caught and sprayed with anti peck, I've been watching carefully over the weekend and they seem to have gelled as a group as opposed to two running away from the other. They are now doing most things as a collective, so I think the spray has done the trick.

I gave quorn for a couple of days, as it was recommended in one of my poultry magazines, to help indentify what was causing the pecking. They get the same layers pellets that they were fed at my suppliers, and they are free to peck at this all day long, which they do.

I have stopped feeding them some corn later in the day as I read somewhere that this can be a cause for pecking, as it generates extra heat in weather that does not require it. They do get some titbits after our tea, this can range from some spare cooked pasta or rice, some grapes or raisins, but mostly just some plain old dandelion leaves which they prefer me to hold so that they can peck at.

They spend most of their time inside the run roughly 7sqm in size, even when their door is open and they can wander the garden, they get roughly three hours out in the morning and again in the afternoon/early evening to wander around the garden and peck at whatever they deem appropriate, mainly my OH's echinacea at the moment!!

So I don't think the pecking was due to poor diet, and I don't think it was boredom as I watched the behaviour in the middle of the lawn. I think it had become a habit, and could have been happening at the suppliers with other birds, though I can't comfirm that. I hope that we have stopped it now, but will be keeping a close eye on the situation over the next week or two.

I have built a second coop and run if I need to separate them, but I would rather do that as a last resort.

[motherhen]

I would imagine as the birds were differing ages that they brought the problem in with them in this case. we try and supply birds of the same age for that very reason. I we get odd numbers here left we usually put them with the next big batch so they intergrated before we sell them to some poor unsuspecting. Hopefully your birds have sorted it out for themselves.

[petal]

as soya encourages the removal of rainforests,(it doesn't exactly grow well in our climate!) and incurs airmiles- please avoid it! protein fed like this can also upset their systems - too much is linked to prolapse, apparently. hang up a cabbage, sweetcorn, reflective cds.? can you get a cockerel - he will not tolerate this behaviour.

[Suechooks]

can you get a cockerel - he will not tolerate this behaviour.

Absolutely right Petal. My little Alfie keeps all the bantams and a couple of LF in order and chicks are kept safe too. I'd love one to go in with my Hybrids as they're horrid to each other and it takes weeks to introduce any new girls

[Glutton4...]

I have to say Asbo is very good at sorting out squabbles - he just won't tolerate the Girls fighting at all.

[RichmondHens]

Well, having put one of my indian game hens back in with Mr Jones the IG cock (now we've de-spurred him), his "temporary" companion hen is being her usual bolshy self and keeping the IG out of the hen house by standing on the ramp. Mr Jones meanwhile has taken himself to bed and is just letting the ladies squabble it out - lazy so and so! I shall go out shortly and see if they have managed to call a truce for the night.

Update: The IG hen had gone in and the bolshy crossbreed was sulking underneath the house - first time ever anybody has got the better of her.

[Glutton4...]

LOL at that! How do you de-spur? Asbo's are two inches long now!