Chicken pulling out my other hens feathers and pecking till bloody!

[myfourchicks]

Hello !I have 4 hens. I noticed the a few days ago that one of them had been pecked on her back down by her tail, missing feathers and bloodied up. I removed her from the coop 2 days ago and she has been on the mend. I put vics on the backs of the other hens trying to prevent any additional pecking for my other girls in the coop. Today when i got home from work i had another injured bird again the feathers were missing from her back and bloody. I checked over the other 2 bird and one had been pecked badly on her sides by her legs. The other who must be the bully was injury free. I have separated the hen who i think is the problem and put the other 3 girls back in the coop with injuries cleaned and covered with blu kote. I also put more vics around the area but not on the injuries. The local feed store said it could be lack of protein and boredom. Can anyone help with information about this and the best way to stop it? Im worried that the 3 girls are going to start going after each other.

 

[Yoako]

I'd recommend maybe hanging up a treat in there coop so that they will focus on getting the treat instead of pecking one another. Letting them free range in the yard is also an option against boredom.
Keep the bully separated for a while and try monitoring her when you do let her back with the others.


Good luck!

 

[ejcrist]

Hello !I have 4 hens. I noticed the a few days ago that one of them had been pecked on her back down by her tail, missing feathers and bloodied up. I removed her from the coop 2 days ago and she has been on the mend. I put vics on the backs of the other hens trying to prevent any additional pecking for my other girls in the coop. Today when i got home from work i had another injured bird again the feathers were missing from her back and bloody. I checked over the other 2 bird and one had been pecked badly on her sides by her legs. The other who must be the bully was injury free. I have separated the hen who i think is the problem and put the other 3 girls back in the coop with injuries cleaned and covered with blu kote. I also put more vics around the area but not on the injuries. The local feed store said it could be lack of protein and boredom. Can anyone help with information about this and the best way to stop it? Im worried that the 3 girls are going to start going after each other.

How big a space are the four hens living in, and how old are they? Pecking order establishment is normal but if they're in too small of a space it can lead to all sorts of problems such as feather pulling and nasty fights requiring first aid. If they have enough room and spaces to hide/get away it usually minimizes any problems in general.

 

[The Phantom]

I would try this.

 

[Pork Pie]

I agree that removing the culprit is vital - the behaviour can be learned among the whole flock. Having sufficient space and trying your best to ensure that they can perform their natural behaviours - dust bathing, foraging etc is essential. Adding some distractions, as mentioned is also a good idea. Protein intake does not relate to displacement behaviours such as feather pecking - all proprietary feed contains sufficient protein, but putting them on general flock / growers feed (and providing free choice oyster shell) will do no harm.

 

[myfourchicks]

They are just under a year old. The coop is 5x6 of indoor space and they have a good sized covered outdoor run. They have not been out to free range for sometime due to the cold weather here. I did get a large seed block last night and put that out in the run to keep them busy. Thanks for the info and help. I will let you all know how they do.

 

[felixpaul]

Facing the same in my coup. Will post pic of my hens tonight. As most of its feathers are not there for some.

 

[myfourchicks]

Well here is my update tonight. I covered the 3 injured girls wounds with blu kotelast night and again tonight(and my hands lol forgot to put gloves on) and have the pecking block in the coops run. I am keeping vics on them also. Tonight they appear to be doing better doesnt look like the remaining are packing at each other. Thank goodness and fingers crossed!The problem girl remains separtated.I will keep u all updated. If anyone has anymore tips please post this is new to me.

 

[felixpaul]

Unable to upload pic

 

[myfourchicks]

It looks like one of the hens that got pecked real bad on her side by her leg has 2 abscesses. I got the smaller one drained washed it out and put neosporin on it. I cant dress it because if the placement. I also put more blu kote on her. If anyone knows about this please help. Im not sure if i should wait to see if the other heals on its own