Feather pulling

[22ChickenNuggets]

Morning
I’ve noticed recently that one of my Easter Eggers and red star have started pulling and eating feathers from one of my polish, and my Roo. It’s a new behavior within maybe the last few weeks or so. I don’t really see how they are bored, they have things to do, they have a nice run with an outside run to graze. They are eating Nutrena all flock, plenty of oyster shell, and crushed egg shell, I feed back some of their eggs a couple times a week. So I don’t think it’s a protein issue. It’s definitely not a cramped space. May be it’s bullying? How on earth do I stop this? I know my polish are on the bottom of the pecking order, but not rock bottom. maybe someone can give me some answers and solutions?

 

[Silviaschicks]

My girls did this to my polish too. They never stopped even if I let them free range or isolated them. What I did was I bought a no pecking spray. It has a disgusting grape smell which the other hens won’t like. Put it on the place your chickens frequently get pecked and next time someone tries to peck them they’ll smell the grape and go away. The brand of the spray I use is called Old MacDonald’s Stop That Pecking

 

[Livinthedozierdream]

My girls did this to my polish too. They never stopped even if I let them free range or isolated them. What I did was I bought a no pecking spray. It has a disgusting grape smell which the other hens won’t like. Put it on the place your chickens frequently get pecked and next time someone tries to peck them they’ll smell the grape and go away. The brand of the spray I use is called Old MacDonald’s Stop That Pecking

Thanks I have almost word for word the same situation as @22ChickenNuggets describes above except it’s my two EE who are at the receiving end of the plucking. Poor things have very sparse beards now so I’m going to look up this spray ASAP!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks I have almost word for word the same situation as @22ChickenNuggets describes above except it’s my two EE who are at the receiving end of the plucking. Poor things have very sparse beards now so I’m going to look up this spray ASAP!

This is somewhat normal with bearded/muffed birds. It's more overzealous grooming rather than traditional feather picking, as bearded birds more often get bits of food caught in their beards.

If you're going to use a no pick spray/lotion in that area (and actually not sure how well it'll work, I've never tried to stop the behavior myself), make sure you don't get it in the mouths of the birds being treated.

 

[Livinthedozierdream]

This is somewhat normal with bearded/muffed birds. It's more overzealous grooming rather than traditional feather picking, as bearded birds more often get bits of food caught in their beards.

If you're going to use a no pick spray/lotion in that area (and actually not sure how well it'll work, I've never tried to stop the behavior myself), make sure you don't get it in the mouths of the birds being treated.

Thanks, I actually decided against it because the spray has red pepper in it and I felt I couldn’t trust it since birds can’t taste it. The heat from the capsaicin does work on mammals like dogs or squirrels or foxes for example. And I could just y find the spray available to me for over $20. I have heard that about the beards but forgot. The odd thing is my salmon favorelle has a magnificent beard! I think it’s because my EE are low on pecking order and also stubborn. They get where the others think they “don’t belong” and won’t budge no matter the pecking. They just burrow on under the bird pecking them when roosting at night. It’s not just one bird pecking them either I don’t think from what I’ve observed. My panic was that now one of the two has a bald spot on her neck too! Ugh. It’s always something. Good thing they are just egg laying pets and not show birds. Haha chickens are savage .

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks, I actually decided against it because the spray has red pepper in it and I felt I couldn’t trust it since birds can’t taste it. The heat from the capsaicin does work on mammals like dogs or squirrels or foxes for example.

Capsaicin is safe for birds, they don't have receptors for it and wild birds often eat chiles and are responsible for spreading the seeds around. You'd need a massive of amount of it for it to harm them in any way (from ingesting too much), and I doubt any spray would use that much of it.

The odd thing is my salmon favorelle has a magnificent beard! I think it’s because my EE are low on pecking order and also stubborn.

My Faverolles doesn't get beard damage either. Maybe she's a neater eater, or she just runs away from grooming sessions, not sure.

One of my EEs is a super sloppy eater and so her beard gets groomed off very quickly after it grows back. The other one usually keeps her beard for about half a year before the flock manages to groom off enough to notice.

 

[Livinthedozierdream]

Capsaicin is safe for birds, they don't have receptors for it and wild birds often eat chiles and are responsible for spreading the seeds around. You'd need a massive of amount of it for it to harm them in any way (from ingesting too much), and I doubt any spray would use that much of it.

My Faverolles doesn't get beard damage either. Maybe she's a neater eater, or she just runs away from grooming sessions, not sure.

One of my EEs is a super sloppy eater and so her beard gets groomed off very quickly after it grows back. The other one usually keeps her beard for about half a year before the flock manages to groom off enough to notice.

Yes exactly that birds don’t have receptors for capsaicin. That’s why I feel like the spray is probably waste of my money unless it tastes bad to them but generally the idea of putting capsaicin in a deterrent is due to the heat part which as we said chickens can’t sense. I wasn’t worried about it hurting just that it wouldn’t work on my birds and therefore not be worth the money. I am on a tight budget. Thanks for the feed back about your birds. I haven’t noticed these being sloppy but maybe they are? Who knows. Chickens can be weird. I’m just sad they look awful but they don’t know they do I guess haha.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I’m just sad they look awful but they don’t know they do I guess haha.

Yeah it really doesn't bother them any (I've watched the bearded birds just standing there calmly while the other surround them and clean clean clean), so that's why I don't do anything to deter it myself. I don't need them to look like show birds either.

 

[SpicyDisaster]

They get where the others think they “don’t belong” and won’t budge no matter the pecking. They just burrow on under the bird pecking them when roosting at night. It’s not just one bird pecking them either I don’t think from what I’ve observed.

Our bottom EE does the same burrowing thing. I swear she thinks if she hides far enough under someone they will leave her alone. It's random though. 90% of the time she sleeps on the lower roost but that 10% she's trying to be in the top roost no matter the other hens' pecking protest. Crazy girl.

 

[Livinthedozierdream]

Our bottom EE does the same burrowing thing. I swear she thinks if she hides far enough under someone they will leave her alone. It's random though. 90% of the time she sleeps on the lower roost but that 10% she's trying to be in the top roost no matter the other hens' pecking protest. Crazy girl.

It’s funny that they are same breed and also low in pecking order. There is another thread with photos of this very behavior from again an EE that is lowest in pecking order. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/snuggling-at-roost-time-causing-aggressive-pecking.1492969/ it’s comforting to know our girls aren’t alone in their burrowing tendencies.