Can they "learn" feather picking?

[Uzuri]

I have one feather picker, that I can no longer deny. She gets all the same food as the others, she's not bottom of the totem pole, she's not top of the totem pole, she's just got a nervous habit. It's most pronounced if she's upset about something (she did it when I took them on a wagon ride to bring them in the night of the latest windstorm, for example).

Do I have to worry about the others picking this up from her so long as they remain uncrowded and well fed? She's not hurting anyone, she doesn't pinch skin, she just... causes drafts, so to speak.

None of the others do this (yet), in fact, they're such a bunch of laid-back friendly little buggers that I rarely even see squabbles. Sometimes they shove each other off the roosts; that's about as far as it goes.

So when the meaties go to chicken heaven in September, should she be on the cull list? Keep in mind that this is her only fault. She is a steady layer and a friendly bird.

 

[sovia]

In my limited experience, yes, feather-picking was a learned habit in my flock. I tried everything imaginable to stop it. In the end, I had to cull the offenders. If i was you, i wouldn't wait and I would cull her asap. Just my opinion.

 

[Uzuri]

Well, I'm going to try a protein boost first (bought some calf manna last night). She's one of two consistent layers, so culling's got to be my last resort unless I'm just going to throw the whole flock out and start again.