I've toyed with selling her or giving her away but I'm not quite there. And I really want 4 hens so to drop down to 2 is going the wrong direction. Besides, she's my most productive layer. I probably get a green egg from her 13 out of 14 days.
I bought a spray bottle and was hitting her with a spritz when I caught this behavior. The problem is, it freaks all three of them out because Pumpkin goes CRAZY. I picked up Ginger this morning to isolate her from Pumpkin and spray her but it upset Ginger so much that she scratched me as she clawed her way out of my arms.
I'm hoping that Ginger goes broody in the near term and I can give her a chick or two to raise. I've read that this will really turn on the mothering instinct in a hen and that she'll peck back to defend herself, her territory and especially, her young. But I don't anticipate her going broody for at least 4 more months and probably not until next year.
So I ordered a pack of Pinless Peppers. A pack of what you say? Well, here, a picture is worth a thousand words.
It's a small plastic device that snaps onto their beaks and prevents them from seeing what's directly in front of them. Only what is down in front, such as food or water. People swear by these things. They even go so far as to decorate them and paint or glue eyes onto them. Which is HILLARIOUS looking.
These should arrive in a few days and then there's the fun of catching her, holding her still while trying to get this thing on her. That will be an adventure in and of itself. But worth it if it works.
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