I think I found a miracle cure for feather picking

BBQJOE said:

I wonder if a sprinkle of cayenne pepper on the tail feathers might just discourage feather picking?

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Joe, just bumped into your post might be too late for response, but birds doesn't react to capsicum (peppers) the way mammal does. Matter of fact we add peppers to bird feed to discourage squirrels and rodents.

"Mother plucker", that's pretty funny!

Sadly, I have to report that Flo had to be euthanized during this past summer. Her crippled legs had become so bad she couldn't move, and she was also losing her appetite and acting most miserable.

Sometimes with feather picking all you can do is segregate. That's what I did with the worst pickers. The four Sussex were ravaging the whole flock until they got their own quarters. But recently I had to remove their most pathetic victim Judy. She had begun molt, and as they do every year, the pickers picked her pin feathers as soon as they emerged. leaving bleeding stumps which further aggravated the situation.

Judy is now sporting an almost complete set of perfect feathers but only because she now lives with the main flock and none of them abuse her feathers. I am considering making the move permanent since she seems to be getting along just fine.

azygous said:

"Mother plucker", that's pretty funny!

Sadly, I have to report that Flo had to be euthanized during this past summer. Her crippled legs had become so bad she couldn't move, and she was also losing her appetite and acting most miserable.

Sometimes with feather picking all you can do is segregate. That's what I did with the worst pickers. The four Sussex were ravaging the whole flock until they got their own quarters. But recently I had to remove their most pathetic victim Judy. She had begun molt, and as they do every year, the pickers picked her pin feathers as soon as they emerged. leaving bleeding stumps which further aggravated the situation.


Judy is now sporting an almost complete set of perfect feathers but only because she now lives with the main flock and none of them abuse her feathers. I am considering making the move permanent since she seems to be getting along just fine.

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So sorry to hear about flo, how old was she?
I think I would make that move with Judy permanent, I bet she loves not getting her feathers pulled out constantly. I know that mine always cry out when someone plucks their feathers.

I miss Flo something awful and still think about her a lot. She was very special. She was around five when she reached the end.

For those new to this thread, Flo was an EE hen who was a problem feather picker from the time she was just a few months old. I tried everything to curb the habit and finally concluded her brain was just wired differently and it made her compulsive about yanking feathers from other chickens. Finally, I had to segregate her, and she had her own enclosure in the run.

Judy, a Speckled Sussex, around five years or so, besides being the main picking victim of her three mates, was also a picker herself. Now, since she's been living with the main flock away from her three mates' influence, she not only is sporting a full complement of feathers, but she hasn't resorted to any picking, either.

Yes, the move is now permanent. Judy appears to like it just fine where she is. Sometimes, to solve the problem of feather picking, it requires creativity and drastic measures.

I tried to read through all this and I must say it’s been interesting. I just bought some of this and selected the digestive aide formula. It ran around 35.00. One concern I have now is that the label says “not for animals intended for human consumption”. So, what about the eggs?

Thanks for resurrecting this thread, it's been a good read and very informative!