Tail feather picking/pecking order but only on one breed?

[Echelontheory101]

Hi all,

Luckily this isn't an emergency post there's no actual injury happening just my chicks annoying my two poor olive eggers but I've noticed my two barred grey olive eggers are targets of tail feather chewing... I say chewing instead of picking because the 10 other chicks aren't pulling tail feathers out, I've checked the skin, no injuries and the olive eggers just sit there seemingly unbothered by it and dont even attempt to move away until they decide they wanna go somewhere else lol but everybody seems obsessed with chewing on just the two Olive Eggers tail feathers and no other chicks are pecking any others tail feathers, so I'm wondering since those two barred olive Eggers tails are the only targets, are they just both at the bottom of the currently forming pecking order? Or is their dark gray with kind of a raccoon tail barring with black and light colored tips, is there something about that breeds tail feathers that is attracting the others to pick at them?

Should also add they get 18% starter feed and I give them a handful of black soldier fly larvae (they have free choice grit 24/7) each morning which is super protein packed so I feel like if it was a protein deficiency causing the feather picking they wouldn't only be picking the tails and they wouldn't only be picking the tails of the only two dark grey/black colored birds they would all be picking on all of them.

Also could be stress cause theyre getting weened off heat the last 4 or so days and its down to the 40s in the brooder room but again I feel like if it was stress it wouldn't be happening to just the dark colored birds they'd all be doing it to each other.

Also if this should be in the behaivor thread instead of the chicks thread let me know and I can move it!
Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

How old are the chicks? How large is the brooder? Are these 2 chicks very different looking (2 dark chicks and 10 pale chicks) or is that just a guess since it's happening to these 2 particular birds?

With chicks, it might be better to bump up protein to 20% or so (and discontinue the treats) so you know exactly how much protein they're getting, but I'm thinking the behavior is probably boredom based, hence the questions.

 

[Echelontheory101]

How old are the chicks? How large is the brooder? Are these 2 chicks very different looking (2 dark chicks and 10 pale chicks) or is that just a guess since it's happening to these 2 particular birds?

With chicks, it might be better to bump up protein to 20% or so (and discontinue the treats) so you know exactly how much protein they're getting, but I'm thinking the behavior is probably boredom based, hence the questions.

3 of them are 5 weeks (the main culprit is an exchequer leghorn which i know is known for being a bit of a dink and easily bored) and then the other 9 are 4 weeks old. The brooder is a 4 foot hexagon so 4x4x4x4 and so on so they have a little over 1.5 square feet per chick at night in the brooder and during the day theyre in an 8 by 16 foot coop run combo so they have 128 square feet of floor space for 11 chicks all day. And yes I am trying to get them out permanently asap its snowing and 20 degrees today so not wanting to swing them from a 55 degree room to a 20 degree coop with no heat in one day especially since they aren't fully feathered yet and the marans isnt even 50% feathered but we're acclimating as quickly as I'm comfortable with, with the temps.

And yes they are the only 2 dark dark chicks (I also have a black splash birchen marans but shes still mostly down so no tail feathers to pick at yet), I have a brown cream legabar but shes light brown and the biggest/friendliest noone seems to pick on or be picked on by her, everyone else is pale/Splash/lavender varieties.

That's why I was assuming maybe it had something to do with the color of their feathers since they're the only two black tail feather chicks in the brooder but you're probably right it is boredom of the Leghorn who I know is a breed that gets easily bored and then the other chicks are probably just mimicking the Leghorn. luckily they are only a few days away from being out in the coop run permanently so if it is boredom that will fix that, but even if it is boredom I just find it so strange that it's just those two, I feel like if it were boredom the Leghorn would be pecking at everybody's tail feathers but it's just these two dark ones but it could just be a coincidence that these two are lower on the pecking order and just so happened to be the leghorns favorite to pick on

 

[Echelontheory101]

With chicks, it might be better to bump up protein to 20% or so (and discontinue the treats)

Yes totally I have a 20% feed already ordered and pending chewy delivery tomorrow (I prefer kalmbach and cant get it locally) I do a 30 lb bag of the chickhouse reserve starter feed and a 50lb bag of the chick starter grower crumbles mixed together. I wanted to use up the Purina 18% starter I had before moving to kalmbach since it seemed like a waste to toss it but agree wish I had started with kalmbach

 

[rosemarythyme]

I wanted to use up the Purina 18% starter I had before moving to kalmbach since it seemed like a waste to toss it

No need to toss it, you can just feed it later on when they're a bit older.

 

[Echelontheory101]

No need to toss it, you can just feed it later on when they're a bit older.

Its almost gone now luckily!

 

[rosemarythyme]

3 of them are 5 weeks (the main culprit is an exchequer leghorn which i know is known for being a bit of a dink and easily bored) and then the other 9 are 4 weeks old. The brooder is a 4 foot hexagon so 4x4x4x4 and so on so they have a little over 1.5 square feet per chick at night in the brooder and during the day theyre in an 8 by 16 foot coop run combo so they have 128 square feet of floor space for 11 chicks all day. And yes I am trying to get them out permanently asap its snowing and 20 degrees today so not wanting to swing them from a 55 degree room to a 20 degree coop with no heat in one day especially since they aren't fully feathered yet and the marans isnt even 50% feathered but we're acclimating as quickly as I'm comfortable with, with the temps.

I just find it so strange that it's just those two, I feel like if it were boredom the Leghorn would be pecking at everybody's tail feathers but it's just these two dark ones but it could just be a coincidence that these two are lower on the pecking order and just so happened to be the leghorns favorite to pick on

Yeah it's a bit tougher to move them out in fall/winter, but it sounds like you're maximizing the space they've got. Make sure the run is cluttered up or has other things to help keep them busy when they're out there - things to hop on, dig around in, etc.

Some birds are more prone to getting picked on, not because of breed necessarily but they're just pushovers. So my guess is your OEs are just more laidback and the Leghorn is bored and taking advantage of that. You'll have a better idea if the behavior tapers off once they're fully moved out, with other activities to distract them.

 

[Echelontheory101]

Yeah it's a bit tougher to move them out in fall/winter, but it sounds like you're maximizing the space they've got. Make sure the run is cluttered up or has other things to help keep them busy when they're out there - things to hop on, dig around in, etc.

Some birds are more prone to getting picked on, not because of breed necessarily but they're just pushovers. So my guess is your OEs are just more laidback and the Leghorn is bored and taking advantage of that. You'll have a better idea if the behavior tapers off once they're fully moved out, with other activities to distract them.

Yes! They have 2 big stumps and a big stick and a mirror and a pecking ball and one of those little xylophones(which im sure they wont use haha) and a swing and a big dust bath with volcanic ash and I also made them a little huddle box since theyre still too small to get up to the roost bar which has cozy coop panels mounted behind it. And then I just have the nest boxes blocked off for now so they cant accidently get stuck under it lol. Once theyre big enough to sleep in front of the panels I wont be as concerned about the cold at all

And yes you may be right both OE are total sweethearts so may just be pushovers

Thanks so much for the help! And for responding!