what to do about chickens pecking each other?

Dylans answer = rubbish.

I have hens that used to peck each other they had ample food and fresh veg daily. It is to do with the pecking order of the group, but when they become bald and they bleed at has gone much to far - nip it in the bud now to save pain for your birds later.

I put teatree hair spray on my hens when she was being pecked by the other memebers of the group, it worked a treat, you have to keep applying at least twice a day as it does wear off! Another alternative I have used is Vic, that worked well too....

Good luck with your hens and I hope the situation calms down soon.

You're right to realise that a single chicken is going to be very lonely, and to get her a friend. However, you should ALWAYS separate new chickens from the old ones when they first arrive, partly as a quarantine measure, but also because, if you just put new ones straight in the run, the older bird or birds will inevitably attack them. Also, its always much more difficult to integrate a single bird - you would do better to have got a pair, as when one bird dies you dont have this problem of a lonely hen all over again.

So you now need to do these things. First, remove the pullet from the reach of the older bird, check her over, and if any blood has been shed, clean her up and spray with purple anti-bacterial spray for birds, which you can get at any pet shop.

Next, divide your run with chicken netting or mesh, so they can see each other but not touch. Make a temporary box, dry, safe and sheltered, for the new bird to roost in at night. It doesn't have to have a perch, but should have bedding, woodshavings or whatever you normally use in the nestboxes. Put the pullet in this half, with her own feeder and drinker, and the older bird in the other. Keep them like this for two weeks.

When the time is up, and they are more used to the sight of each other, go down one night after they have both gone to roost and are asleep. Remove the sleepy pullet from her box and quietly put her on the perch in your coop, next to the older bird. Be on hand next morning, when they come out, and see what happens. There will probably be some chasing, but with luck they will be OK together. It helps to provide more than one feeder and drinker at this stage, so the new girl isn't bullied off the only one, also some places to get away and hide. If you have room for them to be allowed out of the run to free range together, this is good - even if they seem not to be taking any notice of each other, they will be sizing each other up, and the extra space will help them to each feel a lot safer.

Unfortunately they always test the pecking order and will be damaging the weaker ones when confined. Let them outdoors during the day. If confined they will be better with more space and even better if they have some potted plants to hide around to avoid the bully.

Feed them more if the chickens don't get fed enough they start to resort to canobilisom