Alone again... Naturally.

[Northern Flights]

Of 4 otherwise happy go lucky Bovans (2.5 years old) one is having her head feathers yoinked out at night. Unfortunately it isn't only one miscreant responsible. I see others have used various elixirs dabbed upon the head of said victim, but I had a thought: why not make individual sleeping accommodations?

I put the birds to bed every night anyways and it would not be even slightly difficult to put each hen in her bed- chamber. I could also wake them up every morning and let them out to lay. If I insert them into a private box with a door every night for a week or so, will they eventually go there on their own? Without the door?

Cheers

 

[LizaKnepper]

hi I'm Liza I don't have chickens I have ducks I have Jack and Jill just a question out of curiosity I don't know if I can help at all but maybe. When you put them to bed each night do they stay in the boxes all night.said that when you go in the mornings they are in the boxes and you get them out or are they out running around or sleeping in a different spot.my dad's pins always roosted on a roost all night long they never got in a box unless they were laying that's why I asked.

 

[Northern Flights]

My hens sleep on a bail of hay. They used to sleep on the roost but these days the roost is just for naps. They all have designated spots on the hay which leads me to believe they can be "programmed" to sleep or whatever., where it's best. My hope is to simply set the pattern and they do the rest? I hope that makes sense...

 

[Northern Flights]

In other words Liza, I don't know yet. My hens did well on the road but they had a smallish communal box in the coop for that. I have always tried to keep them together at all times.

 

[LizaKnepper]

I know with ducks they have an anarchy there is always one Superior duck one less Superioreven in their walks the less Superior duck is always at the end of the line. Maybe it's that way with hens, they are very social and in groups they are safer that's why they do better incommunicable areas.And up on the bells they are higher up off the ground we're nothing can get to them easy. if you understand what I'm saying, I believe that maybe chickens you might want to look this up though.Haven't had hens in a long time many years to be exact I have chicken hawks and they come to a very bad demise here because of the state laws or federal laws I'm not allowed to get rid of the chicken hawks. They roost to sleep and the only time they're in a box maybe is when they're nesting and that's why they call it nesting boxes. I know it's that way with parakeets the only time they get in a box is if their nesting. Other than that they sleep on a roost. They even fall off their roost when they're asleep but they get back up on the roost to sleep. Kind of comical to watch them. have you looked up the nesting in roosting patterns of chickens that might help you some. With your dilemma. Good luck

 

[50-45-1]

Chickens are social flock animals and will not willingly seek to sleep in separate cubicles at night.(Unless one or more go broody) they keep warmer when snuggled together and there is strength in numbers as far as preditor protection. (The more eyes the better)
Do you gave a rooster?
Have you checked for mites or lice?
These could be other possibile explinations for the feather loss.
Plus if you have a feather picker, this feather picking is happening during the daylight hours, not at night, unless your coop stays lit all night.
Good luck!

 

[Northern Flights]

I have captured two other hens on chicken TV at night taking turns at times to pull feathers from the head of the victim. (#s 1 & 3) And yes, there is a weak night light, solely so the extremely early layers can see the way to the nesting "cave". I am going to install the lowest wattage bulb I can find and see if that helps.

Darkness would indeed be a simple solution were it not for the odd egg being dropped at cruising altitude (from the roost, splat!) without the night light. But lately they have not been sleeping on the roost, at least at night, so perhaps total darkness can again rule the night?

I have abandoned the individual sleeping box idea for the reasons you have both stated: they are highly sociable critters and I have no desire to mess with that. No parasites whatsoever on any of them and they get along quite well otherwise. It likely started as a pecking order thing and has grown into a morbid fetish methinks... The victim is #2 and a serial attempted social climber that has had little to no success in her ambition to be number 1. She's also a complete flibertygibbit. At times she can be fairly aggressive to the lower ranked girls which, believe it or not, seems to irritate Lucy -- queen of all she surveys. Total darkness returns tonight.

 

[Northern Flights]

Whelp, darkness did the trick, at least for last night. I had assumed poor low- light eyesight meant that weak lighting would not cause issues, but I was wrong. Time will tell, but they had been picking at her every single night up to last night. My guess is it's over. I am in your debt friend.