Blu-kote backfired - help! (pics added)

[Chatychick]

Just a guess here...mine did this to some of mine and I started putting some can cat food that I get at Wal0mart and it seems that the feathers are a sign they need more protein and the cat food seemed to do it for mine. Its just a thought.. If chickens see a weak chicken they will peck it and in the end kill it so...mine get layer pellets and all the other things they need but they wanted meat so that is where the can cat food comes in and mine just love it...Just a thought to try..

 

[Pine Grove]

This in not aggressive behavior at all,,Vicks Vapor Rub applied to their beards and muffs a couple of times a day will curve the feather picking, Shy of applying bits or trimming beaks It's the best anti-pick I have ever used, And I have used them all

 

[karmical]

I never thought of Vicks! Does the smell turn the other birds off? There isn't much left of their beards and muffs at this point....Can I put it on their bare skin? Would that help? Or do you think it will tingle and irritate them?

 

[Pine Grove]

They dont like the taste of it..you can put it on the bare skin It wont hurt them at all..I guarantee you wll like the results

 

[karmical]

Just ran out to Rite-Aid and got it! So excited to try it, I'm heading out to the coop to apply it right away so those feather-pickers will have an unpleasant surprise in the AM when they go for a snack!!

Thanks!

 

[SpottedCrow]

The thing about this is that chickens don't like ones that are different than the rest of them...If they have beards, and the others don't the beards will get picked on. Poofy heads or feathery feet and noone else does, they get picked on...

Jeeze, sounds too much like my neighbourhood...

Obelisk is a Leghorn, so no feathery feet, no poofy head, no beards.
Slifer had one feather on one foot and maybe 3 during a good week on the other.
Obelisk would pick Slifer's sparse footfeathers out and she does the same to Penny who has feathery feet too.

 

[speckledhen]

I hope the Vicks works. My girls just ate it off my boy. Blech! They also ate ichthammol, bag balm, hot pepper juice, tea tree oil with mentholatum and a few other concoctions. I think they wait to see what else I'm going to serve them up on poor Hawkeye's wattles.

 

[Pine Grove]

Thats good Karmical, Be just they get a fresh dose in the morning also, like SpottedCrow said anything different and they notice it, Curiosity gets the best of them, They taste it and they like it

 

[Pine Grove]

If they went back for 2nd's with the vicks thats unusual.

 

[dlhunicorn]

do not try teatree oil, vetRx etc as ingredients if ingested can cause (not WILL but CAN) some SERIOUS side effects!!!

Right now it's just that the beard feathers are being plucked and eaten. The two Salmon Faverolles will even pick at each OTHER'S beards.

...this makes me suspect that a deficiency, particularly of METHIONINE is involved and hopefully the supplement will address that.​