Help my chickens are loosing there feathers!

I just posted this on someone else's thread...

I also had this problem and by the time I rehomed the plucker the other hens had picked up the habit so...I added a young rooster and the plucking ceased!  Another thing to try is upping the protein in their diet.  BOSS are high in protein and I also give them freeze dried mealworms.  Some people on here even raise their own mealworms to supplement their diet.

I am assuming that they are plucking each other and that they don't have mites or fleas or other creepy crawlies.

Hello and welcome to BYC  Feather plucking is usually caused by boredom or lack of protein (if they eat the feathers). What you can do is up their protein intake by feeding extra mealworms, scrambled eggs, a little dry cat food or meat scraps and/or give them a flock block to peck at instead. If that doesn't help you can try pinless peepers or poultry blinders:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/144815/pinless-peeper-poultry-blinders

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/569815/pinless-peepers-saves-the-day-or-chicken-butts-anyway

Flock block recipe:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/733009/flock-block-recipe

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/723868/my-flock-block-recipe

Good luck!

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. Nice treat and good supplement for chickens. More info here:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/363200/boss

oh sorry...black oil sunflower seeds

I had read that chickens will eat feathers to make up for a protein deficiency and even though my birds are on a good feed I figured it couldn't hurt to up the protein.  I give it to them later in the day like a treat so they will eat their regular food during the day and not just fill up on sunflower seeds!

If and when all else fails give the Pinless Peepers a try.  They are effective and generally if removed once the birds are back to free ranging they will give up this bad habit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourland 

If and when all else fails give the Pinless Peepers a try.  They are effective and generally if removed once the birds are back to free ranging they will give up this bad habit.

How hard are they to put on?  I ordered some then never used them...

  from Highland County Ohio and God Bless!!! My uncle's chickens did this to each other when they were bored and did not have enough space.