Feather plucking gone wild part II

[ChickenMama18]

We had one bird that was feather plucking all the others in our flock...except the little bantum.

It was suggested that we seperate her out and let the others re-establish a new pecking order. Then we can let the plucker back in and she'll be at the bottom of the order and the plucking should stop. Our little plucker has been seperated for a few days now. How long should we keep her out? A week? Two? Also, is it ok to let the plucker free range with the flock? She's in a lot smaller cage seperated so I feel bad and want to let her out with the others but I also don't want to disrupt our little plans for reintroduction.

Thanks so much for all your help. I'm not quite sure what we would do without this forum!

 

[PeeperKeeper]

I read, somewhere, that flock recognition is about 2 weeks long. I know it takes about a month to introduce a new member but broodermates will remember each other for at least 2 weeks. Hope this helps.

 

[ChickenMama18]

Yes, this was exactly my worry. I didn't want the plucker to be forgotten and not able to go back at all. Should I let the plucker free range in the yard with the rest of the flock?

 

[france]

Subbing here. I have a bad plucking situation and I finally narrowed it down to the culprit.
(She managed to give all the rest at least one bare spot) I have been reading posts
and trying extra protein, adjusting the heat lamp, they have more then enough space,
treats etc.

So basically to follow this routine I remove her from the group for a little more then a week?
Am I reading this correctly?

Thanks!

 

[ChickenMama18]

That is exactly the information I have gleaned from the posts here. Some have said the plucker might need to be rehomed...but I'm hoping to keep her. Ours has also put bare spots on everyone else...except the bantam. Let's keep each other posted on how it goes. So far ours has been seperated for about three days. I'm just not sure if I should let the plucker free range in the yard with the rest of the flock or not.