Feather Plucking and Eating

[ChickenGirl165]

Okay, so I know there are a few threads that talk about this. But I really need help with this. I have 6 hens. First it started of with the dominant hen eating feathers. Then another one started and now 4/6 are doing it. We provide them layer pellets and give them vegies everyday. We have tried giving them egg which someone on another thread recommended. It didn't work. We give them a variety of healthy foods for them. WE occasionally give them worms, some scratch, rice, powdered egg shells, cabbage leaves and lettuce. BUt NOTHING is working! I hate seeing the victim being plucked. Today, my favourite hen, Clover was having a dustbath and 2 of my other hens came plucking her feathers and snatching the feathers away and eating them. I try to shield them of when I'm there but when there are times im not there, I'm concerned. I hope its not just out of boredom. They seem to really like it and whenever they see a feather on the ground they run to it. Once i even saw one hen pluck out a feather and the victim of it snatched the feather back from its mouth and ate it

Is there anything else i can do??

(sorry that was long

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[Pickaduck]

I've been told that they eat feathers when they need more protein in their diets. Feeding them some Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS) should help or scramble up some eggs and give it to them as a treat.

I think if they were bored they'd peck each other and not pull feathers out but I could be wrong.

 

[bloom_ss]

Quote:
x2 Definitely more protein in their diets. If it was just boredom I don't think they would actually EAT the feathers after the pluck them.