feather picking

[lionpearl10]

I have had the picking problem off and on since early winter. Someone suggested cat food but what kind? Dry or canned? I assume to increase the protein in their diet? What else can improve the protein in their diet? Thanks for any tips.

 

[woodward farms]

not cat food .. i use canned tuna or canned salmon(cheapest stuff i can find)

i have 6 birds and give just 1/2 a can of tuna every other day, in the coldest darkest deepest days of winter i had very little if any problems with picking

and boy what the ladies will do for 50 cents worth of tuna they sure love it

 

[lionpearl10]

Hi, thanks I will try that. I have 6 also one being a rooster and he seems to be a fairly good roo. We think we know who the culprit is but they do seem to pick on one in particular, worse than the others. I tried seperating her when we were gone but didn't do it that long. I did notice she got sick of it after a while and would chase the other one away whenever she came near. I don't know never had this problem when I had chickens 20 years ago.

I just want a happy flock like they were before the winter came along. Guess I am in fairy land or something, lol.

 

[LynneP]

Sometimes adding more exercise space in the form of platforms will make things better. Also, installing barriers on the coop floor to reduce the number of head-to-head confrontations. They love a sand box in which to play and I find that thin shreds of cabbage distract them for long periods as they rummage for the fresh enzymes...

 

[al6517]

There seems to be more of these post lately with the onset of winter, I too had an episode also of feather pecking. Boredom is what I think was the main problem, I just did a few things to keep them occupied 24/7 and the problem went away instantly.

AL

 

[kwynn's birds Alaska]

Quote:
someone told me to use dog food. I soak dry kibble in hot water, untilsoft, then they get it about 3x a week. it increases protein. i imagine eggs, tuna, and stuff like that works too.

 

[needmorechickens!]

I had read that most dog food uses vegetable protein instead of animal protein for its main source of protein, so it is better to use cat food.
I bought a bag of dry food for kittens that has very small size pieces. My chickens LOVE it. When I throw the cracked corn to them they eat it, but when I throw the cat food they scramble for it!!

One trick I learned (and this is probably unneccessary) was that I take a cup of cat food and sprinkle some DE on it, then shake the cup to cover all the food with the DE. This made the food white. I did this because the food is brown and blends right in with the ground in the run and I didn't want it to be wasted because they couldn't find it.
Yep, my chickens are spoiled!
~Rebecca