Fern Valley

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Fern Valley

Fern Valley

Hatching
Mar 16, 2015
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We have 9 hens and one is obviously the boss hen. The other 8 we thought were molting as they have lost feathers. They have never stopped laying everyday and then we became alarmed because the 8 hens have bleeding spots . We have watched for a while and found that the boss hen is pecking the others and eating the feathers! The boss hen still has all her feathers and looks very healthy. What could be wrong? They are on layer feed and they get a few table scraps once a day.
 
I would remove the "boss hen" for at least a week -- or simply make chicken stew, especially if no one else is pulling feathers when you remove the main problem maker. Feather picking is usually felt to be due to too little space, too little protein, or boredom. It is probably a good idea to add an animal sourced protein, such as a feed with fish meal in it, if you can. I have read this is a difficult habit to stop. Here is some additional reading:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/back-to-basic-living-feather-picking-plucking-and-cannibalism

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697052/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking
 
Judy said:
I would remove the "boss hen" for at least a week -- or simply make chicken stew, especially if no one else is pulling feathers when you remove the main problem maker. Feather picking is usually felt to be due to too little space, too little protein, or boredom. It is probably a good idea to add an animal sourced protein, such as a feed with fish meal in it, if you can. I have read this is a difficult habit to stop. Here is some additional reading:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/back-to-basic-living-feather-picking-plucking-and-cannibalism

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697052/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking
Click to expand...
Ditto Dat^^^
 

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