Feather pickin' hen

[Trish1974]

Sounds like an integration issue to me....
Lone pullet just lost her buddy and you add a 7mo cockerel(and we know what's on his mind!) to her pen?
I'd beat the snot out of him too.

Actually he's not as randy as I thought he would be. I spent alot of time with them the first couple days to make sure she wasn't overmated or harassed. Araucana males are not nearly as aggressive as other breeds.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I think it’s just a bad habit that she has. I have seen chickens feather pick out of boredom, but it doesn’t sound like she has reason to be bored. Maybe start to scatter the feed around so she has to scratch for it and throw in a head of lettuce for her to pick at instead and see if that helps with the problem.

 

[Ebony Rose]

If you go the pine tar route, cooking oil will loosen the mess up afterward, and then you can give him a decent bath with a dish soap, like dawn, or baby shampoo to wash out the oily gritty pine tar mess.

 

[aart]

Actually he's not as randy as I thought he would be. I spent alot of time with them the first couple days to make sure she wasn't overmated or harassed. Araucana males are not nearly as aggressive as other breeds.

Still, she may not want new company.
How big is their enclosure, are there places to 'get away'?
Has she ever behaved like this before?

 

[Trish1974]

If you go the pine tar route, cooking oil will loosen the mess up afterward, and then you can give him a decent bath with a dish soap, like dawn, or baby shampoo to wash out the oily gritty pine tar mess.

So far there aren't any bald spots, just chewed off feathers and missing saddle feathers.

 

[Trish1974]

How big is their enclosure, are there places to 'get away'?
Has she ever behaved like this before?

All that is in my first post.

 

[aart]

All that is in my first post.

Still, she may not want new company.
Has she ever behaved like this before?

Curious how you knew fatty liver, necrospy?

 

[Trish1974]

Has she ever behaved like this before?

Just a couple days before her flockmate died.

Curious how you knew fatty liver, necrospy

Yes, a "half-@$$ed" necropsy on my part. The thread is here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-hen-just-died-i-have-some-questions-graphic-pic.1298851/