Why do chickens peck each other until they bleed: what to do, symptoms and treatment of cannibalism

Pecking in birds is not uncommon. It affects both adults and young animals, and even chickens. This unpleasant behavior of birds has its own reasons. Consider why the chickens begin to peck each other to the point of blood and what to do in this situation. How to prevent a similar problem in the future, to prevent pecking among domestic chicken stock.

Reasons for cannibalism

There is no single reason for pecking. Chickens may peck at each other due to lack of nutrients, crowded housing, improper lighting.

Calcium deficiency

In order for chickens and chickens to grow normally, nutrients must be constantly supplied to the body. All of them are in the food that the bird eats every day. The intake of mineral elements is also important. Pecking in chickens occurs due to a prolonged lack of calcium. Calcium deficiency makes birds aggressive, they pounce on each other, pluck feathers and peck until blood appears. Thus, they try to get food from what is nearby. In addition to calcium, pecking causes a lack of protein, vitamins, s alt.

Crowding

Pecking is often observed among those birds that are kept in close quarters, when more individuals are located per unit area of the house than is allowed by the norm. Living in cramped conditions, chickens cannot go to the feeder or drinker during feeding, to rest normally. All this leads to nervousness, the chickens behave aggressively, fight, peck each other.

Incorrect lighting

Bright lighting provokes aggressiveness, resulting in pecking. If you keep the birds in dim light, the likelihood of this behavior is greatly reduced. The color of the light also matters. For example, red and blue calm the bird, normalize the behavior of chickens.

Main symptoms

Weak individuals are attacked, stronger ones begin to peck at them. They pull feathers from the neck, back, tail. When blood appears, this not only does not stop the chickens, but, on the contrary, makes them continue pecking. Others join the aggressive individual. If not repelled, the victim may be pecked to death.

If a chicken that pecks others is alone in the flock, then the reason is most likely in his character. He needs to be separated from the rest and if the pecking stops, then the problem is solved.

How to deal with the problem

Revise the diet, analyze how balanced it is. Are all the nutrients, and in what quantity, in the foods that the birds eat. Add foods that are high in protein and greens to the feed. Add s alt, vitamin preparations to the mixers and, as a source of calcium, chalk. After a while, the pecking should stop. If the chickens are crowded, seat some of the individuals in another room. Livestock should move freely, find a place to rest, and not interfere with each other while feeding.

If the reason for pecking is in the wrong lighting, then you need to put a non-powerful lamp or a red one in the chicken coop. The latter option is even better - the red light hides bloodstains from aggressive individuals.

Pecking victims will need treatment. They are separated from the rest in a small cage. Wounds are treated with hydrogen peroxide (a good blood clotting agent) or a pink solution of potassium permanganate.Then sprinkled with streptomycin powder or other antibacterial agent. For at least a week and a half, the wounds need to be monitored. If pus appears, treat first with chlorhexidine, and then with levomekol or tetracycline ointment.

Prevention measures

You can prevent the pecking problem by dividing the chicks into 2 groups, one of which will be aggressive and more active birds, the other - calmer. It is impossible to plant young animals of a different age with chickens, in this case fights are inevitable. It is also better not to keep together in a large number of bettas. Males always fight among themselves and the older they get, the more aggressive they become.

To prevent pecking due to overcrowding, you need to calculate how many birds can be housed per unit area.This number cannot be exceeded. For 1 chicken up to 3 weeks you need 120 square meters. cm, up to 10 weeks - 200 sq. cm, up to 17 weeks - 330 sq. see You also need to let the chickens out for a walk in the aviary. Walking has a good effect on the mental state of the birds, which become calmer and more balanced.

Chickens need to be properly fed. Often it is mistakes in the preparation of the diet that lead to pecking. In the feed that chickens should receive every day, in addition to carbohydrates from grain, there should be vitamins (greens, meat and bone meal) and mineral elements (s alt, chalk, shell).

In general, the more varied the diet, the less likely the birds will lack any of the nutrients.

The cardinal method of preventing pecking is the method of trimming the tip of the beak in chickens, which becomes blunt, and the chicken can no longer capture the neighbor's feather with it. But this procedure is quite difficult to perform, requires accuracy, so it is not used in the household.But it is used in the industrial breeding of chickens, their beaks are cut off in the incubator or on the first day of life. Recovery takes a long time, but does not prevent the chickens from eating normally.

Any poultry farmer can face pecking in chickens. The reason for this behavior often lies in the actions of the owner. If the point is not the presence of naturally evil individuals, then it is necessary to consider whether everything is properly organized in feeding and maintenance. Do not hope that the problem will be solved by itself. After identifying the cause, you need to start fixing the problem, otherwise the chickens can bring each other to death.

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