Extreme Feather Pulling

[CassieLeo]

Hi all! I’m new to the group so thank you for being willing to help! I grew up with chickens and had them for the first 20 years of my life. I am now 34 and finally have a small flock of my own! I have eight hens: 1 Easter egger, 2 orpingtons, 2 cream legbars, 1 Maran, 1 Brahma cross, and 1 silver laced Wyandotte. They will all be a year old this May. They are all laying eggs consistently and seem healthy and happy. I feed Purina flock raiser and they get protein treats (meal worms, black oil sunflower seeds, or tuna) daily. My coop is a 64 sq. ft. (8’x8’) walk in, and the run is 96 sq. ft. (8’x12’). They have access to a flock block, two large roost bars and four nest boxes in the coop, one roost bar, a ladder, a platform, and some large lava rock boulders in their run.

Here’s my problem. Back in November I noticed my orpingtons were losing feathers. Now, 6 out of 8 of my hens are naked from their shoulders down to their abdomens, including their vent area. Today i noticed one of them had a couple broken pin feathers that were bleeding. I doctored her up and she is okay for the moment. This was the first injury since this all started last November. I can’t for the life of me figure out who the bully hen is. I have witnessed each and every hen pecking at someone else at one time or another, especially while dust bathing. I even installed a nanny cam in the coop to see if there was picking going on at night. They seem to leave each other alone on the roost bars. I have also witnessed them pulling their own feathers out! I don’t know what to do anymore, it’s breaking my heart. I am putting my three most dominant hens in chicken jail tonight to see if that helps. I have also treated for mites twice (although I see no evidence of mites or lice, and the coop and run are completely critter and wild bird proofed).

I cannot free range as it’s against my HOA rules. We are going to double the size of our run this spring as soon as the ground thaws out. Do you all have any other tips or advice for me? I really have no clue what to do anymore. Please help.
I have attached photos of my naked flock and their coop setup.

 

[HawaiiCoyote]

Welcome to BYC!
do they have poultry lice or mites? Look near the shaft of the feathers to see if there are dusty colored bugs in their feathers, although it seems a bit too excessive to be poultry lice.
Personally, I am not very informed on this matter but maybe one of these wonderful people can help: @TheOddOneOut @EmmaRainboe @MGG @cluckmecoop7 @human1
@The Happster @CHlCKEN @DLHOCNT @LadiesAndJane
@RoostersAreAwesome
Anyone got any ideas? Much appreciated

 

[tripletfeb]

I too am having issues with my birds but I think I know who is doing my bullying! I would treat for mites just in case. Get permethrin dust and treat everything and everyone. It won't hurt if they don't have any mites but at least you could be double sure

 

[EmmaRainboe]

You offer oyster shells as a source of calcium correct? I agree, check for lice and mites.

 

[CassieLeo]

You offer oyster shells as a source of calcium correct? I agree, check for lice and mites.

Yes, they have free access to oyster shells at all times. I’ve check and treated for lice and mites twice, as well as treating the entire coop and run for mites as well.

 

[CassieLeo]

And you said you haven't seen any signs of mites?

Correct. I treated for mites/lice anyways just in case. Waited 11 days between treatments. Also did a complete empty of coop and bedding materials, soaked every thing in bleach water, scrubbed, and rinsed out. Replaced all bedding, and added DE to all the books and crannies, neat boxes, and dust bathing areas. I’m at a loss.

 

[CassieLeo]

I too am having issues with my birds but I think I know who is doing my bullying! I would treat for mites just in case. Get permethrin dust and treat everything and everyone. It won't hurt if they don't have any mites but at least you could be double sure

Thank you! I did treat for mites twice back in December, just to cover all my bases. Plus did a total coop clean, scrubbed everything with bleach water, rinsed out, and added DE to all new bedding, nest boxes, and dust bathing areas.

 

[CassieLeo]

Welcome to BYC!
do they have poultry lice or mites? Look near the shaft of the feathers to see if there are dusty colored bugs in their feathers, although it seems a bit too excessive to be poultry lice.
Personally, I am not very informed on this matter but maybe one of these wonderful people can help: @TheOddOneOut @EmmaRainboe @MGG @cluckmecoop7 @human1
@The Happster @CHlCKEN @DLHOCNT @LadiesAndJane
@RoostersAreAwesome
Anyone got any ideas? Much appreciated

Thank you! No signs of mites that I can see. And I have experienced mites in a flock before, so I have some experience as to what they look like and where to find them. I did treat for mites twice, 11 days apart, back in December. I also completely cleaned the coop and treated it like it had a mite infestation as well.

 

[aart]

Correct. I treated for mites/lice anyways just in case. Waited 11 days between treatments. Also did a complete empty of coop and bedding materials, soaked every thing in bleach water, scrubbed, and rinsed out. Replaced all bedding, and added DE to all the books and crannies, neat boxes, and dust bathing areas. I’m at a loss.

Did you use an insecticide or just the bleach and DE?

Regardless, I think this is pecking not bugs.
Watch the birds with no feather loss closely.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @CassieLeo
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[CassieLeo]

Did you use an insecticide or just the bleach and DE?

Regardless, I think this is pecking not bugs.
Watch the birds with no feather loss closely.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @CassieLeo
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2551749

Thank you! I used permethrin to treat the birds and clean the coop. Forgot to include that! I really don’t think it is bugs either, I’ve had three people (one has raised chickens for 40+ years) check my gals and they didn’t see any evidence of mites either. I have my three dominant hens in chicken jail at the moment, hoping I can knock them down a peg and stop this problem!

I live in Central Oregon, in the middle of the high desert. We get very cold and snowy winters here, although this last winter was pretty mild. Only got about a foot of snow total. I will be sure to update my profile. Thanks!