Feather pecking at night

[uisceros]

Hi all,

I have 12 hens in an enclosed coop/run (The Garden Loft). They are all 7.5 months old now, and are laying. I can’t really free range them (it’s predator city here), but I try to give them tons of enrichment - toys, dust baths, treats, supervised outside time, etc.

Yesterday I noticed something disturbing. One of my hens had a bloody back end - her feathers had been picked at next to her tail. I immediately quarantined her, washed the area, and applied vetericyn. She spent the night in my bathroom.

This morning I went to check on the girls and noticed another one was bloody in the exact same area (I’m pretty sure she hadn’t been the day before). I did the same treatment for her.

I assume this must be happening at night. Currently 6 roost in the run (in a dead tree I dragged in), and 6 in the henhouse. The two that were injured sleep in the henhouse.

Has this happened to anyone else? I’m not sure why suddenly I’m getting pecking issues, or really who is doing it (though I have suspicions it might be my favorite hen). Any ideas on how to curb it? My current plan is to separate out the one I think might be doing the pecking at night.

I had noticed some feathers missing on some of the other chickens before as well (but they were not bloody). Particularly on the back right in front of the tail. Could this be from a mean chicken as well?

I’m relatively new to keeping chickens (this is my first flock), and they are definitely pets to me. I will not cull any of them, but if I have to have separate living situations I will do that.

Thanks!

 

[sourland]

It sounds like feather pecking/plucking. More commonly happens in the winter when birds are confined to a smaller than usual area. Protein supplementation may help, but identifying the culprit (generally a bird/birds in perfect feather) and affixing Pin Less Peepers can curb and sometimes break the habit.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Your coop and run is built exactly as shown? It's tight for 12 birds, especially if they mostly don't come out, and doesn't allow for space to add lots of clutter.

Are you completely sure the picking is happening at night (i.e. using a camera to catch it happening) or has it possibly been happening gradually day and night, and only now has it progressed?

What's the protein % in your feed? Also you mention treats - how much and how often? Protein probably isn't the cause here but it could possibly be a contributing factor.