Feather picking/eating now!

[salsss]

I thought I'd reach out to all of you knowledgable people...I've been reading and reading about this issue for a few months.

I had a mixed flock ...4 Red Sex Links, 3 Cream Legbars and some EE's They were born last spring--about 1.5 years old now. This spring they were starting with missing feathers on their backs and I blamed it on the rooster. My friend took him. He was a good boy and I thought he was being a bit rough.

The feathers started to come back in for a few weeks, but started missing again at the beginning of the summer. I dusted, cleaned the coop, dusted their dust spots etc.--I thought I'd seen at least one mite on one. I don't see any mites any more and don't think they could survive in any cracks now, with permethrin coating all wooden surfaces in the coop.

I'd had them on flock raiser, then chick grower when I integrated a few chicks this summer. Later, when the chicks started to lay, I switched to a layer feed. Not for long. Their feathers started to be missing on their heads and necks...especially the Legbars. So then I thought they were molting, and switched to FF. I'm on the third bag of that...while watching them free range (they get 2 hours a day unless there's a storm) I saw a RSL pick a feather off someone who was bathing...walk away...then eat a feather from the ground. Mystery solved, I think. Now to see how many are picking!

I'm pretty worried about the Legbars, who now have naked necks. There are some pin feathers coming in, but they look just ugly ragged. One might have been cannibalized as she had a large bloody spot on her neck, which I've been treating with vetricyn and no-pick. It's improving.

Now I have two RSL's in a small coop within my run, separated out.
So how long do I keep them in there? I've ordered pinless peepers.

The coop is 6x8 with 20' roost space...4 nest boxes for 11 layers, double food and water stations. FF for food, treats of Sunflower seeds and meal worms...dry cat food,the grainless kind. Lots of bugs around for them to eat. Toads too. I'm not sure what else to do... I've read that RSL's get nutrition deficiencies.
Should I give them vitamins in the water? I have some nutri drench.

It gets cold here in the winter and I'm trying to get them feathered! Their butts are fine, fully feathered. They have feathers missing on their backs and necks. The "littles" have lovely feathers, but they don't let the bigs near them at all. I'm getting 6 eggs a day from 11 layers right now.

edit: the run is 8 x 16 with multiple places to go...

 

[chickengeorgeto]

It is 100% certain that your flock is experiencing a shortage of protein.

I don't care what kind of ration that you're feeding, treats, grass, fruit, kitchen scraps, leftovers, and free ranging all detracts from a balanced diet.

With the proliferation of backyard flocks there are a lot of chicken feeds out there that are just bad for hens.

Bouteaque chicken foods are designed and marketed to please the cosverosticy of the flock keeper, and not to promote good chicken health. In this regard chicken food and fishing lures have one big thing in common. For a fishing lure to catch fish it first has to catch the fisherman. The same thing goes for Bouteaque chicken foods. Open wide y'all and say awa!!!

Cavet Emporium.

Some premium canned dog or cat food. Will go a long way towards solving this problem.

 

[azygous]

If you are seeing pin feathers emerging in the numerous bald spots, it's more likely that you are looking at molt and not feather picking. This is the time of year for it to begin, and your chickens are at the right age for their first molt.

Feather picking, as a rule, starts waning as winter approaches, then in spring it seems to pick up again as the hormones begin flowing. That's when you need to be especially alert and install the pinless peepers on any picker you are able to identify.

To be sure you have a feather picker at work and it's not simply molt causing the bare spots, it would be wise to sit in the run for a few hours and observe some afternoon. It's not enough that a chicken be caught eating a stray feather on the ground. You need to actually see them yank it from a victim. Chickens eat feathers all the time and it doesn't necessarily mean they're feather pickers.

In your research, did you run across this thread? https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...cure-for-feather-picking.697052/#post-9455600 I started it years ago when I had a huge feather picking problem and was searching for solutions. It has lots of interesting ideas in it.

 

[salsss]

Thank you. Ordered so far: pinless peepers, Forco, getting cat food tomorrow. Thought the dry would be okay but I'm getting cans.

The only reason they're not still on flock raiser: I'm in the middle of nowhere and it's hard to find here! Same with chick starter; have to drive 40 min. for that or the feather fixer.

I'm hoping it's only a molt but it's been going on for so very long....I was away for a few weeks this summer and thought they would have improved by now.

One red hen sidles in and picks feathers off unsuspecting friends...she does it before they know it. The two best feathered friends are now with each other for a bit, until the peepers come in. Hope this helps!!

The RSL's have had reproductive issues and now this. They were my first chickens and I'd never get them again. And they are a bit aggressive with the others.

 

[azygous]

Throwing everything you can think of at a problem out of desperation is tempting. Been there, done it. But I advise you try one thing at a time. That way you will know if something is working or not.

Feather picking has no single cause, and it has no easy solutions. Some picking is definitely nutrition based and can be resolved with dietary modifications, but you won't know that's what you have if you're also treating the problem with several other things, too.

Feeding cat food is a good way to get lots of high grade animal protein into your chickens, but be aware that it's strictly for the short term. Long term use of cat food or other similar products can result in avian gout. This is what happened to Flo, the feather picker I spoke about throughout my thread. She became crippled by the time she was five and eventually could no longer walk and had to be euthanized.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Scrambled eggs as a treat works great & helped my girls feather picking. Shocked to see one picking feathers like picking apples on another. Cat food & tuna great too but mine preferred scrambled eggs, the girls I have now prefer boiled eggs as a treat, refuse scrambled eggs. Spoiled & each batch I have differ, love them all!

 

[Pork Pie]

If it does turn out to be an issue of feather pecking, this link may be useful.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1148824/topic-of-the-week-feather-pecking-eating

 

[lazy gardener]

OP has observed one bird picking and eating feathers. She also has a bird with a bloody neck. IMO, it is most likely a protein issue. Increase of protein with especial attention to providing animal protein is a good place to start. Cat food is a good short term protein boost, followed by a higher protein blended feed. I would continue with fermentation as it produces Lysine and Methionine, as well as B vitamins.

I would also look at space: general recommendation for a back yard flock is 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. Run them tighter than this, and you will almost always have problems with aggression.

Next, look at your set up: Is your run bare soil? If so, convert it to a deep litter. this will provide diversion and more importantly increased gut health which = improved immunity and digestion. They will also glean an abundance of good eats from the DL. Give those birds plenty of multi height spaces including raised pallets, hay bale tunnels. While you free range 2 hours/day (that is commendable.) that is not a substitute for keeping the right size coop and run, and setting your run up to provide benefit and diversion.

 

[salsss]

OP has observed one bird picking and eating feathers. She also has a bird with a bloody neck. IMO, it is most likely a protein issue. Increase of protein with especial attention to providing animal protein is a good place to start. Cat food is a good short term protein boost, followed by a higher protein blended feed. I would continue with fermentation as it produces Lysine and Methionine, as well as B vitamins.

I would also look at space: general recommendation for a back yard flock is 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. Run them tighter than this, and you will almost always have problems with aggression.

Next, look at your set up: Is your run bare soil? If so, convert it to a deep litter. this will provide diversion and more importantly increased gut health which = improved immunity and digestion. They will also glean an abundance of good eats from the DL. Give those birds plenty of multi height spaces including raised pallets, hay bale tunnels. While you free range 2 hours/day (that is commendable.) that is not a substitute for keeping the right size coop and run, and setting your run up to provide benefit and diversion.

Thanks! Minus those two reds, space is exactly 4/10 and change. Run is deep litter...lots of roosts and different levels. A bale of new chopped straw each week or so. They love it!
I have a little tiny chicken coop in the run. A dust bath too.

Also 4 of them are Icelandics, and they are small. The Icies are newest this year; they stay away from the others and also have great feathers. Which points to a nutritional problem again.

Should I worm them? I never have. I've examined poop and not seen any issues. No float test though. I'd have to buy a microscope and a kit...

 

[twilightgecko]

Scrambled eggs as a treat works great & helped my girls feather picking. Shocked to see one picking feathers like picking apples on another. Cat food & tuna great too but mine preferred scrambled eggs, the girls I have now prefer boiled eggs as a treat, refuse scrambled eggs. Spoiled & each batch I have differ, love them all!

agree.. i like to use scrambled eggs for protein as well.. my hens love the treat.. mine are also molting, but its a slow molt.. just small bare spots on necks and butts.. ive seen my girls play with loose feathers..