Cannibalism

[Justicedog]

I've got a year old chicken who has a bare back (by the tail). It looks like all the girls went through a molt as all their feathers there are new. This one has a couple bloody spots. Until this morning, only one of the other chickens seemed to be pecking her. Not in a necessarily a mean way, just as a "hey. looky here".

The thing is, she picks at herself more than anything else. The past couple days, when I've been able to catch her. I've put stuff on her morning and night. Saturday it was Hen Healer. I put it on at night in the coop and it was off by morning. I put it on again in the morning and watched as she pecked it off herself.

Last night I put pick no more, coverup lotion on her and this morning, most of it was brown (from the cover up) but she had 2 spots that were bloody. I put more of that on this morning and then watch her as she pecks herself. Then the others are joining in as well.

I really have no isolation coop, but don't know how much of that would work when she is doing it to herself.

What gives?

 

[samanthaoverton]

Maybe they need more protein in their diet. Feathers have protein in them and sometimes if a chicken doesn't have all the protein it needs then they pick themselves or others to get it.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I'm not an expert but I'm going to go out on a limb and say she is after extra protein. What are you feeding them?

 

[Battlepants]

I've heard that the color red triggers something in them and that might be causing some extra picking. Blu-Kote is usually what I hear for this component.

Another theory that might be worth looking at is if she has mites or some other reason to be itchy.