Bald Behinds!

[harri]

Heyy gang, I have 11 hens and lately they have been pecking @ each other so bad that 6 have bald behinds. One so bad that it goes from between the legs to up and around the tail. They are not fighting and have been together their entire lives.
Is this an aggressive behavior, do they have mites? not sure what to do.
thanks in advance.

 

[WallTenters]

Are you sure they are pecking the feathers, or is it possible they are molting? If they are pecking and/or eating feathers, it is most likely they are cramped, stressed, or are having a vitamin/nutritional deficiency. Sometimes adding a little soaked calf manna on top of their feed helps, or another good source of protein. Also, make sure they have plenty of room, clean coop and clean water and feed available at all times.

 

[egglicious]

I was having this problem. Have you actually seen them pecking at each other? Are they eating the feathers? How much space do they have? Have you changed their food?

For me, the first course of action was to make sure they had enough space. I began letting them freerange more and got them a much bigger run for when they couldn't. I also got them a flock block to peck at to reduce boredom, and I coated their backs and butts with anit-peck lotion... then, I made them saddles out of duct tape so that they couldn't pull the feathers and had a chance to heal. I also got a product called avia 2000 from murry mcmurray that I put in their water plus I give them some extra protein every day, like scrambled egg, cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna fish, meal worms or sunflower seeds. So far, it looks like all this has helped. Good luck!

 

[harri]

Like i said i have 11 hens in a 60 sf coop. feed trough is always full as well as the waterer. the have a 120 sf run. i have seen them pecking, and now that you mention it, they might be eating the feathers.
So it sounds like a diet issue then?
I looked for a flock block the other day but tsc was sold out.
thanks

 

[egglicious]

There is really no way to know for sure what the cause is. I am very new to all of this but have done so much research since I had this problem. I will say that if they are standard sized hens then they *might* be a little cramped, even though technically they have enough space. I would immediately let them freerange at least a little if you can. The idea is to give them something else to do other than peck each other. Make sure they have lots of perches and things to do in their run. Give them an apple to peck at and some leafy greens, grass clipping, pulled weeds, etc. Also, I read that it's better to have shavings or straw rather than sand. Gives them something to scratch around in...

Next put some anti-peck lotion on them like rooster booster or blue coat. If they draw blood they can kill each other. The duct tape saddle also worked really well for me. Do a search on duct tape saddle on the forum and you will find what I am talking about.

Absolutely give them more protein right away. Buy the flock block and the avia 2000 if you can. This is the kind of problem you have to just do everything to try and solve and hope one of them works. My last resort was going to be pinless peepers (do a search and you will see what they are).

Hope this helps!!!

 

[kidcody]

Double check for lice/mites. Somestimes they are heard to see and find.