How do you stop hens pecking each other?

Answer 1

OH how I hate when that happens, the hens find out that eggs taste good and start eating them.

There are a few maintenance things that need to be checked and a couple tricks to get those naughty girls back in order.

First nutrition, make sure you are feeding your hens a formulated layer diet, usually 16 to 18 percent protein with some sort of calcium supplement added.

Not having enough protein or calcium in their diet will trigger them into eating eggs which are both protein filled and calcium rich.

Offer extra calcium in the form of oyster shell, if the eggs are soft for lack of calcium they might be breaking in the nest when the hens jump in and out.

And for a short time, maybe a week, offer extra protein in the way of yogurt or milk, stir a little into their feed to make a wet dough.

Next, make sure their nest boxes are about 3 ft off the ground, if a hungry hen can see the eggs and reach in to get it she will eat it.

These are all the maintenance things to do.

Now the trick

Get as many eggs as you have nests.

with a sharp nail or screw make a hole on the top and bottom of the egg. Take a wooden or metal skewer or stick and stir up the egg inside.

Blow out the contents of the egg, use it for scrambled eggs or make a cake.

Now fill the empty egg shells with dish soap and cover the holes with a little glue or tape.

Place the trick eggs in the nests.

Once the hens get the soap in their mouths it won't be long before they stop eating the eggs.

During this process it will be very important for you to go out and collect the good eggs every 2 hours or so, so that the only egg available to the hens will be the trick egg.

Good Luck!!!!

Answer 2

You can stop hens from pecking each other by debeaking which is the partial removal of the beak from the hen. The instrument used is called Debeaker. *** This is an act of last resort. If you have recently introduced new birds, this may be temporary but it may be that they require a better diet OR they are overcrowded. Try extending coop or giving them more free range time and make sure you have a couple of little sheltered hidey holes for birds to shelter,so they can withdraw and let Mrs Bully get distracted with something else. Also, give them some entertainment - open pinecones, filled with rolled oat porridge,etc.

Answer 3

Egg eating is a really nasty habit that can quickly spread through the entire flock. To prevent and/or discourage it, make sure

1-The chickens are not overcrowded

2-The chickens are well cared for and have fresh, clean food and water at all times

3-The chickens have plenty of calcium and Vitamin D in their feed

4-The chickens are kept in a safe, clean environment

5-The chickens' nests are padded adequately with two inches of padding and are darkened

If a chicken has already started egg eating,

1-Take them away from the flock

2-Feed the chickens a bit of milk once a day until the egg eating stops

3-Gather eggs more frequently

4-In a mixing bowl, combine a raw egg with one to two teaspoons of ground pepper and mix. Pour the mixture on the floor so the birds will eat it, and the bad taste may reduce egg eating.

5-As a last resort--and ONLY IF YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL--beak trim the birds. A veterinarian can do this for you if you wish.

Answer 4

If she is setting on eggs she will cluck until they hatch and the chicks are about four weeks old. (7 weeks)

If she isn't setting or you want her to stop setting remove every egg.

She should stop on about a week

Answer 5

There is no way to stop a chicken from laying eggs; It's nature's way.

Answer 6

road kill