Feather picking-are they bored? UPDATE 12/5

[ThePolishPrincess]

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I've raved about these birds for a long time. Esepcially this one. I bought her with the intentions of showing her and keeping her. Honestly, the notion of getting rid of her sickens me. I'm not comfortable doing that. And I know it sounds cheesy, don't take it this way, but she wasn't exactly on clearance when I bought her.

She is from good lines and even considering throwing her to someone for a free-range pet drives me nuts. Not too many people around here care about the safety of the 'little birds'. In my community, most chickens are meaties or layers. And this particular bird is fragile. Not to mention, this bird is so sweet with people. She's like a giant stuffed animal. She isn't even aggressive with the chickens...she just feels that feathers=food.

I've gotten rid of peckers before, and even though they were pain-in-the-neck's, it still hurt. They were still mine. We have tight-nit flocks. This bird is a trouble maker, but what hurts more is that this is a problem that I have caused by restricting freedom, or so we think.

That said, she isn't hurting the others. She's not picking the feather 'out' (As in, from the base). She's picking from the ends, actually latching onto a few strands and eating the ends. I don't even really know if the other birds feel it...

Track is seasonal, but it has two season in school. Winter track just started monday, and after that is spring track. I can't give up my social life for this, although the thought has lingered a few times. I have thought about peepers. But I'm not sure if they'd fit in her nostrils? She's very small. I guess I can do some research on that. I just hate spending money on things that don't work. I don't know if reintroducing her to the flock would help at all. She'd probably return to this habit in time. And when she's separated, she'd get anti-social and skittish. That's not the effect I want.

I hate that this is happening...I love my chickens so much. And I do happen to like this one. She's the only one doing it. I just wish there was some way that I could deter this habit further. She just doesn't give up.

Thanks so much, anyway. This can't be so uncommon in chickens. I'm sure other people have gone through this. What do others do? Does everyone just eat or rehome?

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

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I missed this post. In the past, isolation never seemed to yeild promising results. Would crating her but still keeping her in the coop surfice? I just got done treating several birds for bumblefoot and my parents would put their foot down if I even consider keeping her in the basement. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to separate her, without 'taking her away'. Just keeping her in a cage inside the coop. Do you, honestly, think there's a chance of breaking this habit, having said that this issue has increased over the last week? I'm just curious. But if there's a chance....why not?

If sprinkling treats was an option, I would have done it already. I'm careful about what I put on the ground in their coop. We dust very heavily with Sevin and DE, as we're currently treating in our layer flock for mites and want to prevent it with the Silkies.

Thank you.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Newer update!

The Silkie has been separated since the day I answered back to this thread. (A little less than a month now). She has been separated by dog crate-still living in the same coop, but not able to walk around freely and have any physical contact with her flock. They are all able to hear and (assuming their crests aren't too large) see each other when the hen is toward the front of the crate. She gets fresh water daily and I've been adding a decent amount of BOSS to her usual feed for good measure.

Yesterday I let her out for a second while I was cleaning her crate and saw my roo and dominant hen beat up on her. I was pleased to see them standing up for themselves though a little discouraged to see how rough they were being. But after being kept separate for so long, it seems she is beginning to truly lose her place in the pecking order and perhaps she has forgotten her bad habit too. Sadly, I didn't see my blue hen take a snap at her, so I'm not sure what to think. It was the blue that was being bullied most of all. I'd like to see her give the white a taste of her own medicine. My hope is that when I introduce the white back into the flock, she will be kept busy with attaining her place in the pecking order once more and will have forgotten this habit by then. I would like to get her and the others outside more, too. But that's another issue altogether.

Not sure when is the best time to throw her back in with the others. It's getting colder here in NY but she has done well so far, it seems. It's not a terrible temp in the coop. I just don't want to rush it. I don't have many more chances like this.

Here's a pic of the beast, who, against better judgement, we've decided to name. My family and I have come to the conclusion that we will not give up and will do whatever we must to make this work. I will not be beaten out by a bored and socially lost chicken. This is Demonica, for her devil-like nature. We feel it fits her well.