RIR Tail Feather Loss

[SJ]

Those pinnless peepers look a bit crazy - never seen anything like that before. I think I'll just eat a couple of the hens for supper and hopefully that'll solve the problem. I'm not out in the coop enough to see what's going on. I water, and clean and collect eggs everyday - so I'm only out there with them maybe 5 mins a day max.

I have a 6 foot x 8 foot coop with 22 foot of roost space (1x4) about 6 foot off the coop floor and about 1200 square foot of fenced in chicken yard for these 18 chickens.

If I hear you guys right I got a "mean" chicken. I think I know which one it is she tries to peck me at times - maybe I'll have me some mean chicken soup then

That's what I would do before you get a full on cannibalism out break. A personal experience with the production reds.
The pecking ends when the mean bird dies. Next time you water the birds watch to see who drinks first. See who stands off to the side and waits. Are the ones that wait missing the most feathers? suspect #1 the prettiest one. Literally your birds are trying to eliminate competetion. In nature they would run off the other hen but confined hens have no where to run. It is a slow death so get rid of your bully/bullies and keep the sweeties.

The reds I had did this to my buffs and if i had known then what I know now I would have culled every red from my flock the day I saw the first buff bare back. Because two days later bare backs became bloody pecked to the bone backs.

When the reds were culled all pecking stopped. Also free birds don't peck.

 

[crealbilly]

Coop kinda small....so crowding may be part of the problem, regardless of run size.
What and how exactly are you feeding?

It's a drop box feeder that holds 2 50lb bags of feed - I put a 50lb bag in every two weeks or so. They have feed continuously. I also have a PVC pipe nipple water that holds about 4 gallons, I put about 1 1/2 gallons in a day. Both the feeder and the waterer are fillable from outside the coop. I only go in the coop once a day to scrape poo poo off the roosts. I am using deep litter on the floor have about 8" in there now - once a week I thow a nice covering of barn lime and DE ontop of the deep litter. I need to change out the litter in a few weeks and put it in the garden, it's good and composted - want to help? - :lol

 

[crealbilly]

That's what I would do before you get a full on cannibalism out break. A personal experience with the production reds.
The pecking ends when the mean bird dies. Next time you water the birds watch to see who drinks first. See who stands off to the side and waits. Are the ones that wait missing the most feathers? suspect #1 the prettiest one. Literally your birds are trying to eliminate competetion. In nature they would run off the other hen but confined hens have no where to run. It is a slow death so get rid of your bully/bullies and keep the sweeties.

The reds I had did this to my buffs and if i had known then what I know now I would have culled every red from my flock the day I saw the first buff bare back. Because two days later bare backs became bloody pecked to the bone backs.  When the reds were culled all pecking stopped. Also free birds don't peck.

Pecking ends when mean bird dies - got it... I'll have to watch them on the roost for a while over the next few nights and see if I can find the mean bird. I know she's in there because their is one hen that tries to peck me sometimes. It's just identifying her is the problem

 

[aart]

Quote: What kind of feed....low protein can be the cause of picking.

 

[crealbilly]

What kind of feed....low protein can be the cause of picking.

16% layer pellets and once in a while when on sale - I'll buy a bag of 21% meatbird crumbles and dump in the drop box feeder. I don't feed them any scratch.

Both feeds are Rural King brand made by Cargill.
http://www.ruralking.com/layer-pellet-feed-16-50-value-46249.html

http://www.ruralking.com/meatbird-crumbles-feed-50lb-930006.html

 

[SJ]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/rhode-island/reviews/7338#comments-title

A reveiw I wrote on the RIR.

 

[crealbilly]

Well I marked 4 of the 17 hens that still have feathers on their tails and backs. But even after watching a few nights I have yet to see the mean chicken in action. Are there any other signs / tests to help me find the mean chicken?

 

[sawilliams]

They might not grow back for a while but as long as the chickens are healing it should be fine. I have one worn some damage from before we got her. She has had bear spots on her neck since before October, she's starting to molt a little now (her spots are a lot bigger then they use to be) I'm hoping it fills in properly after her molt