Why do chickens always peck their own ass?

Pecking, also known as pica, pica and mutual pecking, is manifested as anal pecking, tail pecking, toe pecking, head pecking and egg pecking. It is a very complicated abnormal taste syndrome, which is caused by metabolic disorder, abnormal taste, lack of various nutrients and environmental factors.

I. Reasons

1, feeding factor

It is mainly caused by not feeding full-price feed. If there is a lack of salt, birds will seek salty food, causing anal pecking and meat pecking. When methionine and cystine are deficient, birds peck their hair and eggs, especially high-yield chickens.

2. Management factors

Too much light, too high density, wet chicken coop, too high temperature, poor ventilation, high concentration of harmful gases, insufficient padding and improper feeding time. Or different breeds, different ages, mixed strengths and weaknesses, and lack of exercise ratio in captivity can all cause pecking addiction. ?

3. Hormone factors

When the female bird is about to give birth, the increase of estrogen and progesterone in the blood and androgen in the male bird are all factors that promote pecking tendency.

4. Disease factors

Some ectoparasitic diseases, such as lice, mites, etc., are itchy locally, causing birds to peck at the affected area and even peck for bleeding, causing bulimia.

5. Genetic factors

The incidence of pecking addiction of white-shelled egg birds is high in chickens, especially newborn females. Pecking at the anus leads to more diseases and deaths, while laying birds with brown shells are less.

Second, prevention and control measures

1, isolate and feed the addicted birds alone in time, and cut off their beaks;

Birds that have been pecked should also be kept in isolation in time. Drugs with odor, sterilization and anti-inflammatory effects, such as gentian violet, berberine, chloramphenicol, truffle oil, ichthyol, camphor oil, iodine tincture, etc., are applied to the pecked parts, which are bitter in taste and strong in smell. On the one hand, they are anti-inflammatory, on the other hand, they make birds retreat after suffering.

2, the light should not be too strong:

With 3 watts /m2 incandescent lamp lighting brightness as the upper limit. The illumination time is given in strict accordance with the feeding management regulations. If the light is too strong, birds' pecking habits will increase.

3, reduce the density: provide enough space for birds, which can reduce the chance of pecking.

4. Strengthen ventilation: try to reduce the harmful gas content in the house.

5. Strictly control the temperature and humidity to avoid crowded stacking, irritability and pecking caused by environmental discomfort.

6. Strengthen feeding management and provide a perfectly balanced diet: the proportion of animal feed is increased to about 8%, the crude protein content of young birds is not less than 18%, that of middle-aged birds is not less than 15%, that of minerals is not less than 3% and that of salt is not less than 0.5%.