Feather Pecking

[Mandyj11]

We have 5 chickens in a decent sized coop in our backyard. They’re almost a year old and we noticed that their back end feathers were grayish in color and looked broken. I don’t think they are molting, and we scrubbed for mites or other bugs (Sevin, DE, etc) We live in Colorado and it’s been colder. We do occasionally put a heat lamp on if it’s in the teens, could this be affecting them? Today we noticed one with bloody feathers. Her quills seem to be intact but from what I’ve been reading, perhaps pecking? I have pictures attached. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[azygous]

Do you have a rooster? The stripped wing feathers look to be mating wear and tear.

The grey areas where the feathers have been "teased" are caused by beak raking. This usually occurs when the chickens are loafing in the sun or dirt bathing together. Usually, it's a dominant hen that stands over another hen as she is sitting resting, and draws her beak over the back feathers repeatedly. The feathers are not picked or plucked, but "teased" so they lose their coherence. It's unsightly, but doesn't harm the hen.

The solution is to peck the naughty hen firmly on the back when you see her doing this to another hen. Sometimes this works if you catch it before it becomes a compulsive habit.

The rooster damage can only be repaired by molt when the feathers fall out and are replaced. That hen is stuck with them for now. I have the same number of hens as you, and two roosters that are kept separate but in sight of the hens except for brief periods of free ranging. It helps reduce mating damage, but the favorite hens still end up with stripped feathers because the little whores just can't seem to get enough time with their boyfriends.

 

[Mandyj11]

Thank you. We do not have a rooster in our bunch, and ALL 5 hens have this... does this mean they’re just doing it to one another?

 

[azygous]

It is possible if you have some very aggressive hens that demonstrate their dominance by standing on the backs of these hens with the stripped wing feathers. The bloody shafts are very concerning, though. You may have feather mites, rodents coming into the coop at night and chewing on the chickens, or a predator has somehow reached through the fence and raked its claws on the wings of these hens.

I would flush the bloody areas with saline or warm soap and water and take a good look for mites on the feather shafts. It might help to yank one of these feathers and look it over carefully with a strong magnifying lens. A very effective and easy wound treatment is Vetericyn spray. It's clean and clear and helps heal while preventing infection.

You might want to spend some time sitting with your flock and observing what goes on to determine how this might be happening. Then you will be better able to find a solution when you fully understand the problem.

 

[ChickenMathLady]

Do you have a rooster? The stripped wing feathers look to be mating wear and tear.

The grey areas where the feathers have been "teased" are caused by beak raking. This usually occurs when the chickens are loafing in the sun or dirt bathing together. Usually, it's a dominant hen that stands over another hen as she is sitting resting, and draws her beak over the back feathers repeatedly. The feathers are not picked or plucked, but "teased" so they lose their coherence. It's unsightly, but doesn't harm the hen.

The solution is to peck the naughty hen firmly on the back when you see her doing this to another hen. Sometimes this works if you catch it before it becomes a compulsive habit.

The rooster damage can only be repaired by molt when the feathers fall out and are replaced. That hen is stuck with them for now. I have the same number of hens as you, and two roosters that are kept separate but in sight of the hens except for brief periods of free ranging. It helps reduce mating damage, but the favorite hens still end up with stripped feathers because the little whores just can't seem to get enough time with their boyfriends.

This is the first I've heard of beak raking but I have hens that look just like that fluffy first picture. We've tried pick no more and it didn't do anything.

 

[azygous]

Pic-no-mor has never worked for me. Just left a permanent greasy mess.