I have had my chickens pecking on each other and need to know what to do about it. I have tried vinegar in their water and does not seem to help any. So if you can help me please respond ASAP!

thank you, Jason Priest, Indiana

-- Jason Daniel Priest (jeremy37@indy.net), October 28, 1999

Answers

Jason, have you checked your chickens for mites or lice? These two culprits got my chickens pecking on each other a few years back. The 'old guys' around here say to put vaseline, kerosene mixed with vaseline on their backs. There is also an 'anti-peck' remedy on the feed store shelves. I used a mit-a-cide and sulfur on the chickens and cleaned the hen house (includes perches) and sprinkled around lyme around the floors and it stopped the pecking. Hope this helps.

-- sissy sylvester (jerreleene@hotmail.com), October 28, 1999.

Pecking to the point of cannibilism can also be caused by over crowded living conditions. You can also try lowering the light level if you are keeping them confined in the hen house all of the times. That is what is done in commercial houses. You would need to lower the light for about two or three weeks. This gets them out of the habit of pecking each other.

-- A.C. Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), October 29, 1999.

Try a red light bulb. Some say to put marbles in the waterer but I've never tried it.

-- JCW (JC@Waldner.com), October 29, 1999.

My chickens developed the habit once. They didn't have the usual reasons like overcrowding (they had a huge run) or too much light, (I didn't use it) They also got a good variety of feed. I think they just do it sometimes. What I did was smear pine tar on the places that they had picked and soon they stop. I am assuming that pine tar and anti-pick lotion is about the same thing. Good Luck

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), October 29, 1999.

Im with Marci on this one. Smear pine all over the "picked" area and the rest will leave that one alone to heal. I use this all the time on my flocks.

-- William (wtoebe@wpsr.com), November 22, 1999.