I recently posted a message about my hens having odd bald spots, totally plucked bare.
read-bald spots I have read all the info and am way upping their protein, letting them run free a lot of the time, I made suet balls and baked treat "bricks" and put whole cabbages in the pen when ever they must be locked up. I tried the duct tape but don't think I put it on very well cuz it fell of the next day. I have not given up on that trick yet.
I have spent hours watching my 16 hens and have never ever seen anyone plucking each other or themselves. I have only observed the normal peck to establish order. I have figured the plucking must be happening when hens were in the next box and vulnerable to others. I have been watching close and nothing. I then figured the plucking was happening early in the morning before I let them out. I have been setting my alarm and am out there by 6am to open the doors. I even leave my baked treat "bricks" in the pen at night so they will have something to do with the few moments that they are up before I get the doors open. But still I see a bloody quill here and there!! Argh!!
Well, I was talking to one of my clients while giving her a pedicure (I own a salon) and she is a fellow chicken nut. I told her all about my chickens issues and she said..."they are doing at night" I said "at night??" She said "maybe there is too much light somewhere". OMG a bell went off in my head! There is a motion activated flood light that my husband has set to stay on for 4 hours at a time before it shuts off and it TOTALLY shines on their coop. I have been bugging him for months to set it to stay on for 10 mins instead of hours. I have 6 hens who sleep inside and they have absolutely no feather problems. The other 10 sleep outside the hen house on a high roost and have light totally on them all night long. Of these 10 at least 6 have some sort of feather issues. I cannot believe I did not even think of that. I think the light is just bugging them and keeping them up all night and they are plucking the heck out of themselves!
I will keep everyone updated if this fixes our problems. I hope those bald bottoms can grow back. I love big fluffy hens...poor baldies.
I sooo hope this solves it. I am unscrewing that floodlight immediately!
read-bald spots I have read all the info and am way upping their protein, letting them run free a lot of the time, I made suet balls and baked treat "bricks" and put whole cabbages in the pen when ever they must be locked up. I tried the duct tape but don't think I put it on very well cuz it fell of the next day. I have not given up on that trick yet.
I have spent hours watching my 16 hens and have never ever seen anyone plucking each other or themselves. I have only observed the normal peck to establish order. I have figured the plucking must be happening when hens were in the next box and vulnerable to others. I have been watching close and nothing. I then figured the plucking was happening early in the morning before I let them out. I have been setting my alarm and am out there by 6am to open the doors. I even leave my baked treat "bricks" in the pen at night so they will have something to do with the few moments that they are up before I get the doors open. But still I see a bloody quill here and there!! Argh!!
Well, I was talking to one of my clients while giving her a pedicure (I own a salon) and she is a fellow chicken nut. I told her all about my chickens issues and she said..."they are doing at night" I said "at night??" She said "maybe there is too much light somewhere". OMG a bell went off in my head! There is a motion activated flood light that my husband has set to stay on for 4 hours at a time before it shuts off and it TOTALLY shines on their coop. I have been bugging him for months to set it to stay on for 10 mins instead of hours. I have 6 hens who sleep inside and they have absolutely no feather problems. The other 10 sleep outside the hen house on a high roost and have light totally on them all night long. Of these 10 at least 6 have some sort of feather issues. I cannot believe I did not even think of that. I think the light is just bugging them and keeping them up all night and they are plucking the heck out of themselves!
I will keep everyone updated if this fixes our problems. I hope those bald bottoms can grow back. I love big fluffy hens...poor baldies.
I sooo hope this solves it. I am unscrewing that floodlight immediately!
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