Feather Plucking!

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Try suspending a cabbage a foot to a foot and a half off the ground. They will have fun eating it.

 

[4boyz]

I tried Vick Vapo-Rub a week ago and it didn't stop the behavior. What they did do was gave themselves a dust bathe to cover it all up.

Their roost in the coop and the run is high enough that they have to flap up to it and it is 6 feet long. Plenty of room for the 3 of them.

I have watched them pecking and they all seem to be doing it to each other. They will be pecking at the ground minding their own business, when they look up, if the other chicken's butt is within their view they will go after the butt. It could almost be seen as comical the way they run away from the chicken whose trying to get at their own butt while simultaneously going after the butt of the chicken in front of them. The frequency has diminished since I got rid of the bully, but hasn't stopped entirely.

I can certainly feed them more interesting treats. What I'm worried about is leaving them in this condition for 10 days with a neighbor whose probably not as willing to entertain them. I don't want her to have to deal with a dead or very bloody chicken and I also feel bad for the chickens that are naked in the rear in this cold weather.

I'll post some pics

 

[4boyz]

I tried Vick Vapo-Rub a week ago and it didn't stop the behavior. What they did do was gave themselves a dust bathe to cover it all up.

Their roost in the coop and the run is high enough that they have to flap up to it and it is 6 feet long. Plenty of room for the 3 of them.

I have watched them pecking and they all seem to be doing it to each other. They will be pecking at the ground minding their own business, when they look up, if the other chicken's butt is within their view they will go after the butt. It could almost be seen as comical the way they run away from the chicken whose trying to get at their own butt while simultaneously going after the butt of the chicken in front of them. The frequency has diminished since I got rid of the bully, but hasn't stopped entirely.

I can certainly feed them more interesting treats. What I'm worried about is leaving them in this condition for 10 days with a neighbor whose probably not as willing to entertain them. I don't want her to have to deal with a dead or very bloody chicken and I also feel bad for the chickens that are naked in the rear in this cold weather.

I'll post some pics
run/coop
.
She is the worst and the one I'm most worried about

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

There is a product call pinless peepers @azygous has used them with success. They might be something for your birds if you can find them.

 

[junebuggena]

I suggest giving them a pile of hay to scratch through. Flock blocks are pretty boring and don't do much to alleviate boredom.

 

[theoldchick]

Keep them entertained with this:

Get a few 16 oz drinking bottles, thoroughly cleaned and dried, cut a few small holes in it, and add their favorite treat. Toss in coop or run. You can also hang it with hay string. Maybe this will keep them busy pecking at the bottle instead of each other. You can also try hen aprons.

As a last resort you can try pinless peepers.

 

[azygous]

Yes, pinless peepers work pretty well. There is an occasional individual that has a super ability to see well wearing them. But they're a good solution, overall, for a persistent feather picker.

I would also suggest you get some Blu-kote and paint it on all exposed skin. It will help disguise the bare skin which attracts even more picking. It also has a taste that is even worse than any of the goops you can buy, that really don't work. I've had chickens eat the stuff right off their neighbor, thinking it was some sort of treat.

 

[4boyz]

Thank you for your help!

 

[Kathy Golla]

Maybe try deep litter in your pen. It gives them a lot to keep occupied during the day.

 

[azygous]

Diversions and "entertainment" can often help with feather picking in a flock. I hang large raw carrots from cords using eye screws inserted into the carrot. You can hang cabbages the same way. And apples. Raw squash or pumpkins provide hours of nibbling.

A big diversion is a flock block. Chickens absolutely love these and spend hours pecking away at them. Be sure to get the hardest ones, as the soft ones get crumbly and get eaten too fast.