Feather Picking/Bullying

[Sphinx]

Posting this for my brother in law.

He has two hens (bcm/ee cross) that are kept in an enclosure where the run is about 4'x6'. Hen house is rather small, 4'x2'. They both are picking each other's backs. The back isn't bare, but the feathers are really short there. They have plenty of food, and calcium freely available. I hatched the chickens for them- moms were hatchery EE that I got as day olds, dad was a BCM from a breeder. They always had excellent nutrition at my house, and we never have had feather picking.

They are in the process of building a much larger coop area so that they can integrate two more hens to the group. He has told me if they have all four hens together in the back yard, the one hen bullies the others mercilessly. I haven't witnessed it firsthand, so I don't know if it's normal establishment of pecking order or something different.

The bullying doesn't concern me as much as the feather picking. What could cause this? What can they do to prevent it?

 

[ChicKat]

We always are hearing to allow them to free range, reduce the boredom, increase the protein in the feed....but I have heard another interesting thing in the Storey's Guide to raising Cickens by Gail Damerow..... and it is to increase the salt in the diet. A little tricky perhaps because too much salt is bad. If you want the exact quote--email or PM me....I don't have the book with me at the moment.

I hate feather eating/picking too. There are mechanical things that can help -- one is 'bumpa bits' from the UK and that allows the hen to eat and drink normally but not pick feathers or peck other chickens, and one is pinless peepers that prevent the chicken from seeing where to pluck from the other chickens.

Hope you help him solve it.

 

[TwoCrows]

Chickens need a ton of room or they will start in on each other. And sometimes they get the taste of feathers and never quit. I have an aggressive hen that seems to love the taste of bloody combs, LOL and I have had to put "Pinless Peepers" on her. She doesn't sport them year round, but on and off during her cranky months, when ever those are! Peepers will stop feather plucking, biting and other aggressive behavior in it's tracks. Here she is looking just dandy in her eye wear...

 

[ChicKat]

She does look dandy--- Quite the stylish hen, and VERY pretty too!

Is that an Australorp? She has really big bright eyes.

 

[Sphinx]

She is gorgeous.

Unfortunately, free ranging isn't a possibility for these guys- they're suburban, and they have two dogs that are DYING for a chicken dinner.


I think when their new coop/run is done, it'll be better. If it continues, I'll suggest the pinless peepers. Or giving me that hen back- she is so beautiful.

 

[TwoCrows]

She does look dandy--- Quite the stylish hen, and VERY pretty too!

Is that an Australorp? She has really big bright eyes.

Yes, that is "Pearl" a Black Australorp. She is very pretty hen. Her feathers just gleen in the sun, her comb is quite large and bright. Lately she has been behaving herself and is "out on parole" from the peepers. LOL But I keep them handy. She has even attacked me several times. I don't have a rooster so she has taken the place of authority of one. And she definitely thinks I need to be controlled!!! LOL