Feather picking and a possible way to control it

[azygous]

I've had feather picking in my flock for as long as I can remember. It's annoying and frustrating. I've tried any number of things to try to control it. I had a thread on the subject a number of years ago where I thought I had found something to cure it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking.697052/ But, no. Aside from hundreds of BYC members contributing thoughts to the thread, feather picking remains a curse and a scourge in many of our flocks.

Now, I think I've stumbled onto something promising. This thread will document my experiment. I believe it's safe or I wouldn't risk this with my chickens who all mean a lot to me. I have been giving my four most aggressive hens that are the most likely feather picking culprits small doses of L-tryptophan in tiny bite size snacks throughout the day. I've been doing it for around ten days, and I think I may be seeing positive results.

What I plan to do, when my one pound sack of L-tryptophan powder arrives in two weeks is to mix precise amounts into the feed my chickens get twice a day. I'll be keeping track of approximately how much L-tryptophan each chicken will be consuming, and will note any individuals whom I see feather picking. I may adjust the proportions as I proceed, but I'll record them here.

The reason I think this may be an effective treatment for aggression and feather picking is that L-tryptophan is a natural ingredient in animal protein. Every single time a member posts here asking for suggestions to stop feather picking in their flock, they get the predictable answers that they should feed more protein. Yet feeding more protein most often won't solve the issue. What if it's L-tryptophan in protein that is the "miracle cure" and not the protein itself?

I didn't just think of this all by my clever self. I stumbled onto a couple of research papers that dealt with aggression and feather picking in commercial poultry operations where they fed L-tryptophan as a nutritional additive to the feed and got very positive results. These are two of them.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jpn.13515

http://www.promoisinternational.com/L-TRYPTOPHAN/15

My flock is molting at present. My two roosters are growing new feathers on necks and saddles that the hens had shaved off not long after they regrew them during last fall's molt. It disappoints me no end when I see that gorgeous plumage ravaged in just a few short weeks after they finished growing in. No matter what I do to try to stop it, these feather hungry hens manage to munch them all into a bristly remnant of their brief splendor.

The little snacks I made consist of breaking open individual capsules of L-tryptophan and mixing the powder with some flour, whey protein and a bit of olive oil and enough water to make a batter, then grilling it as I would a pancake. Then I cut it into as many quarter inch bite-size pieces as it will produce. Each aggressive hen has been getting one of these snacks four times a day spaced out over the day. I'll continue this until I get the bulk powder. Then I will begin adding it to the feed to treat the whole flock.

The recipe for the bite size snacks:

5 capsules of L-tryptophan (approximately two teaspoons) emptied in a custard cup
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon whey protein powder
1/2 teaspoon olive oil

Mix dry ingredients well, add oil, and enough water to make a batter. Then cook as a pancake on a griddle. When cool, cut into quarter inch pieces and feed as snacks over the span of the day, around four pieces for each feather picking fiend or noxious bully.

Strawberry and Tootsie Pop molting.

 

[azygous]

I did another Ivermectin treatment this fall, and now everyone but the two Buttercups have complete new outfits. So I'm not able to say for sure that treating for feather mites improved anything.

But feather picking is picking up again in my flock. Feather picking, I've concluded over the fifteen years of keeping chickens, is seasonal and related to the uptick in hormones. Just yesterday I watched as a previously non-feather picker went boldly up to the head rooster and started pecking at his slender cowl feathers. To my gratification, her did confront her with a scolding peck on the head for her insolence. That is a new behavior, but I won't get excited over him protecting himself since roosters almost always permit the hens to shave their necks with impunity.

My flock management rules have changed since last year. I now keep the two roosters separate from the predations of the eighteen hens, half of whom are identified feather pickers. If hens are allowed to visit with the roosters, it's just a couple at a time and under supervision. This works both ways, by the way. It protects the roosters from getting their necks and saddles shaved, but the hens suffer less back feather damage, as well.

 

[fargosmom]

Free range is great in theory but not practical for most of us. Plus it brings the risk of loss due to predators, which is a tough trade-off. We opted for building the biggest run we could (15’ x 30’) and giving the girls a lot of places to roost or hide. I think crowding is key. The space per bird suggestions are absolute minimums, and feather picking is probably the cost of being too close to minimum, combined with individual bird personalities. Too much stress brings out the worst in all of us.

 

[azygous]

The roosters have regrown their gorgeous plumage and are looking very awesome. This proves my latest strategy to avoid feather picking has worked perfectly. It involves separating the roosters from the hens except for brief isolated encounters.

The minute I let a hen who is a known feather picker near these two, she starts focusing immediately on the neck feathers and starts plucking them. Therefore, my conclusion is not to let these hens near the roosters.

Thanks @Perris for that link. I read it and was pleased they pointed to environmental factors rather than diet. I've been dealing with feather picking long enough to have noticed it's mostly behavioral and environmental. Making environmental adjustments can affect behavior, so that's the first thing I recommend trying if you have this issue going on in your flock.

The other cause is individual behavior stemming from an individual's brain wiring which can affect their perceptions. The seven-year old hen in my flock that has been the most persistent feather picker appears to have stopped the behavior. I've noticed her standing still among the others just observing them rather than her usual close inspections of their feathers which then would lead to nibbling.

It has occurred to me that she may be perceiving these chickens differently from before. In other words, now she sees the chickens and not the individual feathers. What has brought about this change in perception, is anyone's guess. We'll see how long it lasts. If it's a temporary fluke, then she will resume picking soon as we are going into the hormonal season which has been associated with an uptick in picking in the past.

 

[DobieLover]

That hen looks plain evil.

That's the victim Ameraucana rooster with the plucked muff and beard.
The hen that did it was a true blue nut job. She was also a terrible mother. Good incubator. Terrible mother. She had her maternal duties stripped from her less than 2 weeks in.
I sold her last year.
I certainly wouldn't add additional protein to Flock Raiser. It would have to be added to a mix with lower protein content. The problem is those mixes are typically layer mixes.

 

[azygous]

And now the Great Experiment continues under a bit more controlled circumstances. I received my bulk Tryptophan powder and it is roughly 2500mg per teaspoon.

My flock of twenty-one will each be getting approximately 125mg each daily, sprinkled over their fermented feed. This should assure that the Tryptophan is as close to full potency as possible, no heating or dilution in liquids being necessary.

They will all get some, even the two roosters and two chicks. If it calms the roos down so they aren't as apt to bully each other, it will go towards a more peaceful flock.

The main objective is to see if the new feathers coming in during molt will remain in good condition through winter and spring, which would indicate feather picking is being controlled.

 

[KellyBogo]

Thank you so much for your reply. I have 14 hens, no roosters. I was considering adding a rooster to cub the bad behavior, but it may just be fresh “meat” (feathers) for my feather pickers…
I’m a first time chicken owner. We bought alll of our chickens from TSC and they were hatched in March.
We were free ranging once they aged out of the brooder. A hawk attacked and killed one of our hens and we decided to keep them in the enclosed run from here on out. This was in August of this year.
My husband built an amazing coop/run. It’s very spacious. I will try to attach pictures.
The run space is 8’Wx32’L. We researched plenty as to the spacial recommendations per bird.
The coop is 8’Wx6’L with two 8ft roosting bars (16ft of roosting space). Five nesting boxes inside the coop.
Many of my hens began losing feathers on the lower back…then many began losing feathers on the neck…
My initial thought was mites. I did 3 subsequent nightly inspections and found zero signs of a parasite infestation.
I opted to go ahead and clear out the bedding and treat the coop with Elector PSP anyway, as well as the nesting boxes and individual birds.
The feather loss was still happening, and at a rapid rate in early November of this year. I know assumed it was molting, but my research showed that they were too young to molt.
I upped their feed to 20% protein (Kulmbach Feed) and they receive daily mealworm treats. I also feed canned tuna (in water) every other day as an added source. I’ve even fed them some scrambled eggs a few times!
None of these steps seemed to be improving the feather situation. Argh!!
We live in Michigan and we had an arctic blast in early December. Four days of -19 degrees and I thought my girls were goners with all of that baldness! I’m proud to say that they survived and not one had frostbite. We did not heat the coop (I pushed for it, but hubby refused. Glad he did).
My last result was to install security cameras for the chickens to see WHAT IN THE HECK is going on…
BUSTED! I have 4 major bullies, who literally treat the other hens like a “feather buffet”. It’s absolutely sickening how many feathers they are eating!
My husband says to cull them. I would, but only aster I’ve exhausted every avenue.
1) Space. I think they have ample space. Please correct me if I am wrong! We are adding an additional outdoor play area (connected via “Chunnel” (chicken tunnel)) in hopes that it will help.
2. Protein. Am I doing enough with this?
3. Pinless Peepers. Arrive tomorrow. The application of these are intimidating to me. Are they humane? Do they work?
4. Boredom. I mean…what more can I do? I have 3 kiddos who visit daily after school. I see them regularly. Should I be doing more?
5. Stress. I don’t know what they could be stressed about..maybe shortened daylight hours?

Is the best answer to just cull the bullies? This is very stressful to me. I have a friend who does just enough for her birds, and they are so happy and full of plumage..what am I doing wrong?

Here is the chicken tunnel we are working on

 

[azygous]

That hen looks plain evil.

1250mg Tryptophan per teaspoon approximately. It breaks down to approximately 10mg Tryptophan per tiny snack piece, and 40-50mg Tryptophan for each treated hen per day. This is my current application. It may change as I treat the entire flock when I add it to their daily feed ration.

I've been feeding Flock Raiser all along. Adding more protein to my flock's diet would risk health issue such as gout and kidney and liver problems. My flock consists of some very old individuals so they would have time to have high protein intake cause issues. This is why I'm excited about seeing what this one element of protein will do for feather picking.

Unlike general protein intake that affects all of the tissues and organs, Tryptophan works on the brain, changing serotonin levels mainly. I've had feather pickers that were absolutely crazed with their obsession, racing around the flock yanking feathers in a frenzy. Curiously, my EEs have been the main culprits, followed closely by Speckeled Sussex individuals. So changing serotonin levels in the brain just may calm down this obsession. That's my hope.

 

[azygous]

@aart yes, heat and air and sunlight will degrade Tryptophan. Therefore, my pancake treats may be lower in potency than when I begin to add Tryptophan powder to the daily ration of feed without heating being involved. I plan to mix it daily.

This is not a clinical test with lab techs analyzing the product or testing blood levels or brain enzymes. This is a backyard chicken sloppy experiment. I will be judging behavior to determine the success or failure of my efforts.

 

[aart]

Observation after morning feeding:

Noticed several of my most energetic hens standing around acting sedated. Not drunk, just sedated.

I looked up how long Tryptophan is active in the system and it said not very long. I had a hunch I might need to figure a way to get this stuff into the flock spaced out over the day, but unless I can find an alternative, I may need to forego mixing it into the feed and go back to distributing snacks.

Might be interesting to see how long that first dose lasts?