Feather Picking Frustration

[MissChessy]

To try to make a long story short, I have one barred rock hen who is fully feathered and is the culprit of my other 29 hens of being picked to bare backs is frustrating me to no end.

These 15 hens are my younger flock that were cooped up until they were old enough and big enough to be put with my older flock. They were in an older coop that was hard to catch them when they started the feather picking for me to nip it in the bud. That old coop has now been destroyed. I have all 30 hens and 1 roo in a large new coop and run. Their run is made of 2 of the largest dog kennel opened up with netting on the top to keep them from flying out. The hen house is attached onto my husband's shop lean to. They have plenty of ample room to roam out and I have been feeding my flock scratch mixed with Black Oil Sunflower seeds and a lot of garden scraps etc...... I feed them layer feed as well and put apple cider in their drinking water, and this hen is still picking all their feathers off! un

Anybody got any other suggestions as to what I can do about this problem?

 

[debilorrah]

Let me get this straight - 29 hens are picking the feathers off one hen??? It sounds like that poor thing is at the very bottom on the pecking order and is the victim of bullying. Poor thing. I am not sure what do, besides make stuffed hen for dinner. She can't continue to be bullied like that!

 

[morelcabin]

Take the culprit feather picking hen out for about a week...she is just a bully. The pecking order will change and when you put her back in she will be brought down to size at first and find a lower level in the pecking order.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
It one hen being picked on by 29 others. I still think she needs to be removed before they kill her. Poor thing!

 

[morelcabin]

I am reading it as the one hen has all it's feathers...the barred rock, and the other 29 have been pecked bare. She is the bully...pull her out for a while and change the pecking order

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Slap my grandma, you are right! Forgive me. yeah, Chicken Soup! Get the bully outta there!

 

[morelcabin]

You were starting to make me wonder if I needed glasses

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Nope, dear, thats me!! HAHAHA! I cant imagine one hen being SO bad that it pecks 29 others all the time like that. What a beotch. Can I say that?

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Our barred rocks do the same thing. Thought they were supposed to be NICE chickens??!

 

[morelcabin]

Quote:
My barreds are really nice...they are mixed in a pen with silkies and get along great