What to do if chickens peck each other until they bleed, causes and treatment of cannibalism

Poultry farmers often face various problems related to the behavior of poultry. It often happens that they begin to behave aggressively, plucking feathers and even engaging in bird cannibalism. There are many reasons for such behavior, so it is important to know what to do if chickens peck each other until they bleed.

Why do chickens peck each other?

The reasons for inappropriate and aggressive behavior in birds are directly related to the living conditions, diet and problems in the relationships of poultry.

Room illumination

Too bright light in a poultry house can cause nervousness and increase aggressiveness in chickens. Since they can easily notice blood, birds begin to peck at these very places..

Crowding

Chickens can become more aggressive if they don't have enough space. This is especially true for birds that constantly stay indoors, without proper comfortable conditions. Pecking also begins due to competition and struggle for food.

Breed incompatibility

Experienced farmers note that cannibalism occurs more often in laying hens than in meat breeds. Therefore, it is impossible to keep them in the same house, otherwise hostility will begin. You should not introduce new chickens one by one - the females can immediately peck at the “new one”.

Dry air

Birds often peck at their relatives due to excessively dry air in the room. Due to dryness and dust, parasites appear on the body of chickens, which lead to irritability and nervousness.

Drastic environmental changes

Regular changes in environment cause stress and aggression in birds. In addition, during the cold period of the year there is a need for plumage growth. Due to a lack of vitamins and elements, birds may begin to peck each other.

Nutrition

Birds often peck at their relatives due to poor nutrition, as well as a lack of drinkers and feeders.If the content of microelements in food is insufficient, strong individuals can kill weaker representatives to death.

Microclimate in the chicken coop

It is important to ensure that the balance of temperature and other indicators is maintained in the poultry house. Due to dryness, the feather becomes brittle, irritation of the mucous membranes occurs, and chickens experience nervousness. It is also necessary to eliminate drafts.

Ectoparasites

The cause of cannibalism can be infection with ectoparasites: ticks, fleas and lice. To get rid of them, chickens begin to peck at the inflamed area of ​​the cloaca, pull out feathers, and damage the mucous membrane under the tail.

Signs of the onset of cannibalism

A visible sign that feather pecking is occurring is not only bald spots on the birds, but also scattered feathers around the coop. Adult birds begin to peck at the comb and earrings of their relatives. With poor nutrition and low living conditions, birds attack their tails and pluck feathers.

With a lack of protein, pecking of the skin, mucous membranes, body tissues and toes is observed. Injured hens lose weight, become sick and weakened, and lose the ability to hatch eggs.

Solutions to chicken cannibalism

To avoid widespread pecking and serious behavioral problems in poultry, you need to monitor the nutrition of chickens and the conditions in which they are kept. Comfort and proper diet will not only eliminate pecking, but also improve egg laying:

1. To begin with, eliminate sick and injured chickens, since the blood will attract other birds.
2. Adjust your diet - it is important to enrich your food with calcium, vitamins and minerals. It is useful to give bone meal and table salt.
3. Create comfortable living conditions in the poultry house - maintain cleanliness, adjust lighting, eliminate drafts, install ventilation for optimal humidity in the room.
4. To get rid of parasites, it is recommended to sprinkle ash with sulfur and river sand on chickens.
5. Expand the chicken coop and provide the chickens with free space.

Overly aggressive representatives must be fenced off or slaughtered, since they cannot be weaned off.

Treatment of sick individuals

As soon as the first signs of pecking have been identified, damaged hens will need to be immediately removed and the necessary assistance provided.

First aid

The main and first action in such a situation is to remove the wounded bird from the flock and isolate it until complete recovery. Attention should be paid even to those chickens with minor wounds, since other individuals become more aggressive. To avoid infection, it is recommended to place the chicken in a separate cage.

Treatment of wounds

Next, immediate treatment of the wounds with antiseptic solutions will be required. For local damage, the following remedies are suitable: penicillin, ichthyol or syntomycin ointment, tincture of iodine with glycerin, peroxide, brilliant green. Disinfectants will help prevent wound infection and possible complications.

Bird care

Further measures include regular treatment with antiseptic agents, changing dressings (if available), as well as monitoring the condition of the affected bird. If a chicken has a lack of appetite, an infection cannot be ruled out. In this case, you will need the help of a veterinarian and the prescription of medications for the bird.

How to prevent pecking?

To prevent pecking, you will need to take action even before the first signs appear.Otherwise, aggressive behavior and attacks on chickens may become a habit, and then it will be extremely difficult to eliminate the problem.

Debecking

This method is one of the ways to prevent pecking in young animals. As a rule, this procedure is carried out on large poultry farms using a special device. The beaks of young animals are trimmed to one third of the length.

Chickens can be bred at any age, starting at one day old. However, the best option is to perform the operation in the sixth or seventh week. This procedure should be carried out exclusively by specialists who know all the nuances of debacking: the length by which it needs to be shortened, as well as the timing of the operation.

If you do this at home, the risk of bleeding or bone damage increases, which can lead to infection.

Genetic selection

There are breeds that are difficult to raise and breed because young animals have low survival rates. Such individuals have increased aggressiveness from an early age. If their beaks are not trimmed, they can kill their relatives. Thanks to breeding work, it is possible to develop calmer breeds. If such chickens are present in the livestock, they should be used for meat.

Proper nutrition

The diet of chickens should be varied. In addition to feed, they will need vitamin supplements, as well as fresh grass and vegetables. These foods contain minerals and substances that are necessary for growth and development. The following vegetables are allowed: zucchini, pumpkin, beets and carrots. It is also recommended to hang a nettle broom, a head of cabbage or grass in the chicken coop.

Light mode

Adult laying hens require separate shaded areas in the coop and direct sunlight should be avoided. Only the chicks will need sunlight in the first days of life. It is also recommended to provide lighting in the poultry house.

During cold periods, chickens will need to extend daylight hours - to do this, turn on the lights for a couple of hours in the evening. However, the lighting should not be too bright - a 60-watt light bulb is suitable, which can be pre-painted.

Using beak abrasives

To prevent birds from pecking, special devices are used. Since they are sprinkled with quartz sand, birds grind their beaks and claws on them, like sandpaper. Similar abrasive materials are often added to feed. Thus, the chickens gradually wear off their beaks and become practically safe for others.

Free range poultry

During warm periods, it is recommended to keep birds in free space all daylight hours. Thanks to free range chickens grow and develop quickly, and chickens become less restless. Also, thanks to free movement, birds find pasture that contains vitamins and other substances. Over a large area, they rarely come into contact with each other.