Can't keep her in jail

BCMominMD

Songster
10 Years
Mar 12, 2009
171
0
119
Southern Md
I have a feather picker. She is a 9 wk old Golden Laced Wyandotte. It took me awhile to figure out what was going on and it started when I moved them to their new Coop 2 weeks ago. The 2 wyandotte girls and the 2 white rocks aren't missing any feathers but the 2 EEs and the 2 black sex links have bald spots on their backs with broken feathers but no holes. I checked their vents & they are fine.
The coop is 8x10, the run is approximately 90 square feet. I only have 8 nine week olds that have been raised together from chicks.
Per the advice I've read on here; I have increased protein, given them treats to peck at and even let them free range a bit for the first time this morning. There is a new pile of sand for them to dig in the run. Chicken jail for the perp was also recommended for 4-5 days. So I put her in a large wire dog crate (used to be their brooder) in the coop with her own food and water. No big deal until everyone jumped up on the roost and she got so stressed, trying to squeeze through the bars and panting. I finally just broke down and let her out.
I guess I don't understand the point of chicken jail. She is already the flightiest - kind of zoomy. It seems like this would just stress her out more.
Am I heading for cannabilism here? Or is there a chance that this will pass?
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I think she will get over this stage. Maybe she is trying to determine pecking order. If she has not stopped, maybe some isolation out of the coop will help. If she sees the others she will get stressed. Take the crate in the house or somewhere where she can not see th others.This might allow her to bond more with you too!( maybe she will calm down) Or if you can move her an another hen to another pen and rotate her only "friend" until she is playing nice with them all. Good luck.
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