Looking for name of meds that you can put on one chicken so another doesn't peck at them, is tarey and icky tasting....put our Roo back in with hens, after he finally healed, took them 5 hours and they started pecking at him again, so would like to find out name of stuff that we can put on him, have heard about it, just can't find it anywhere....any help thanks a bunch, Lori

Hi Lori, I've read about pine tar (is that right Dr. Bruce?) here on the coop. Heard it works great.

The lady at the feed store swears by baby powder! She says the birds don't like that either. You could try that first, then try the other if the baby powder doesn't work.

Pine tar usually works. I've had pretty good luck with it. It's messy so you'll want to get creative about using something to apply it besides your fingers. I broke off the end of a paint stirrer and that worked okay. Supposedly they don't like the taste and also the pine tar will help seal the wound while it heals.

Susie

You can usually find pine tar in the horse area of feed stores; it's used on their hooves. It has worked well for me.

There are other methods to prevent the chickens from pecking each other. Some methods (although I'm not sure if they work) are chicken spectacles, trimming the beaks, changing the lighting, and switching feeds.

These hens seem stressed. Let them out in the open air, and they will not cannibalize. Feather picking is a sign of cramming or protein deficiency. Let them see a little Sun and it should make them nicer birds. Hope that helps.

I agree these hens may be too confined, a change of food or a new mixture may be needed. Take notice to the protein count on turkey grower and hen scratch, etc.
The baby powder I have not heard of using, but often with cuts on birds we use cornstarch, or flour. This stops the bleeding. This works well for me.
Baby powder has perfumes etc. in it, which may irritate the chickens skin.
I also rescued a hen last year,who was picked on by the others and had even started picking her own feathers out , and possibly eating them too.
She had been in an overcrowded pen.
when I got her I increased her regular food mix to include a high protein (23%)crumble and with granit gravel and oyster shell, and a daily vitamin supplement.
She has now molted and has feathed out beautifully, ( she was over 70% bald when I got her).
Best of luck to you.

I used Stockholm Tar (I'm in the UK, don't know what you call it in US). She cleaned a lot of it off herself but it seems to have worked. I also let them road in the garden during the day so they've got much more space. I've got four bantams and really thought I'd have to get rid of the weakling because two of the others were pecking her wounds. Apparently, the slightest hint of blood and they'll eat each other! I also locked her in the nesting box at night until she'd recovered. Good luck

I don't mean to be negitive, but some chickens pull feathers no matter what. I have two who pull all the time others now and then. I've tryed every suggestion. Protien, they have lots of room and great condions , I changed thier feed more than once, added vits and mineral, tryed everything. I watched them clean off anti-pick spray. The thick tar is probably the best but as mentioned above it is a mess. To use the specticals or peepers you will have to push a pointed plastic piece through the nose breaking through the membrane. I couldn't do it. I'm weak. I would try the other things first. More room , diet ,etc. Then this is what I have to do. I get plastic beak clips from MurryMcmurry.com. They slip around the upper beak so it can't close completly. They cant get a grip on the feather to pull it out. You need to use crumble feed not mash. It gets more complicated. A chickens beak like any birds grows like our finger nails. This means it will grow together around the clip so you have to trim it once a week. I use a battery operated dremel tool with sanding weel. If I forget I have a bald chicken. After two months it broke 3 hens of pulling feathers but two still have clips and have had for over 6 months. Its a lot to deal with so if any of the others suggestions apply try them first. This is the only way I could get feathered chickens.

Bill