Balanced diet for hens to stop feather picking

[DoubleYolk123]

Chicken feathers are mostly protein, so upping protein (like during molt) should help speed recovery.

Whether that’s through a higher protein feed or by supplement with lean protein (mealworm are high protein but also high fat) probably depends on what you have available.

What would you say is lean protein ?

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

What would you say is lean protein ?

The scrambled eggs, to some degree.

Chicken meat, lean pork, lean beef, fish. Probably some vegetarian sources as well, but someone else can probably speak to those better than I.

Good luck...hope the pecking stops!

 

[chicken1234]

Protein can include tuna and a cat food too. Looks like it is molt and parasites but it will improve and the feathers will regrow. What did you treat them with? You do a second dose in another 10 days or so? I'd clean everything out and dust with DE too. The saddle pad covers their back but this looks like parasites. What kind of bedding do you use?

 

[DoubleYolk123]

Protein can include tuna and a cat food too. Looks like it is molt and parasites but it will improve and the feathers will regrow. What did you treat them with? You do a second dose in another 10 days or so? I'd clean everything out and dust with DE too. The saddle pad covers their back but this looks like parasites. What kind of bedding do you use?

I use sawdust in the coop and hay in the nest boxes. They’ve already had their second lot of medication, its a monthly dose. And I don’t remember exactly what the treatment was called, but it said it was parasite treatment for both small mammals and birds. It was similar to a dogs flee treatment that we squirted onto the back of their necks

 

[Folly's place]

Having the birds on a 20% protein diet, with separate oyster shell available all the time, and few or no extras, at least for a while, will manage their diet better. Is that layer diet 16% protein, or higher? Your extras will not be as useful as having a good base diet, especially a pelleted or crumble diet, not whole grains.
Then, is whatever you are using on your birds for the ??? parasites approved for chickens in the UK? There's very little approved for use in the USA, and I hope you have looked up your product before using it!
As at least a temporary fix, the pinless peepers will keep your birds from feather picking until they can recover.
Mary

 

[DoubleYolk123]

Having the birds on a 20% protein diet, with separate oyster shell available all the time, and few or no extras, at least for a while, will manage their diet better. Is that layer diet 16% protein, or higher? Your extras will not be as useful as having a good base diet, especially a pelleted or crumble diet, not whole grains.
Then, is whatever you are using on your birds for the ??? parasites approved for chickens in the UK? There's very little approved for use in the USA, and I hope you have looked up your product before using it!
As at least a temporary fix, the pinless peepers will keep your birds from feather picking until they can recover.
Mary

I’ll be sure to check the % for their diet, and i assume the medicine is approved for chickens as it was prescribed for them by the doctor who looked them over, who was a chicken specialist since our local vet didn’t do poultry.

 

[chicken1234]

Might have been ivermectin? If so I've used it for leg mites and it worked great. I am glad you got them treated. If you sprinkle DE down before you put the bedding down it will naturally kill parasites. You might want to consider switching to shavings as sawdust is very dusty. Just a thought.

 

[DoubleYolk123]

Okay so little update, we’ve cut out scratch from their diet completely for a week now, and every few days they’ve been fed some form of meat. Except for one day when they were given a corn on the cob with calcium powder and mealworms on it. But the pecking has continued and a couple of them have been getting worse. We’ve been doing some research and purchased some anti-peck purple spray for their backs and rumps as the saddles wouldn’t cover enough off them.
As far as diet goes we’re searching for a slightly higher protein pellet and spring is coming so the weather is getting warmer and insects are out more, hopefully this will help them out.

 

[chicken1234]

I don't feed scratch at all anymore. I just feed layer crumb and cracked corn as a treat. Have you cleaned out the building and put DE down? You will need to do another clean out when you treat them again. They sound like they may need another treatment. You could also bath them. I used a borax bath for mine.

 

[DoubleYolk123]

I don't feed scratch at all anymore. I just feed layer crumb and cracked corn as a treat. Have you cleaned out the building and put DE down? You will need to do another clean out when you treat them again. They sound like they may need another treatment. You could also bath them. I used a borax bath for mine.

Yes I’ve cleaned them out and put down anti-parasite spray.