freeranged chickens feather picking- UPDATE #29, cured!!!

[egglicious]

Thanks for the new replies! I have thought of pinless peepers but haven't broken down and bought them yet. Just to give some more info, they don't seem to eat all that much feed. It takes days before I need to fill their feed containers up again and I never let them get empty. I supplement with kelp and DE as well... But today when I filled their feed up again they went crazy eating it and pecking through it. It may just be what they do but I was surprised... I wonder if they only like some of what's in the feed and ignore the rest? They do eat tons of grass and weeds and bugs, plus they get treats. Does any of this info make any difference or will I never really know why this is happening? Could it just be the strain of banties that is prone to pecking? Ugh!!

 

[sharol]

I agree you should try different food. Try some unmedicated starter and see how they eat that. If you are feeding mostly a grain mix, they may be missing the protein. What is the protein count of the feed? Don't be afraid of feed with animal protein. Chickens eat other animals all the time. Mine fought over a dead mouse in the run last spring and ripped the poor thing to pieces. They ate every bite. Yum.

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[egglicious]

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Well, I have been giving them protein such as tuna fish, mealworms, cottage cheese, yogurt and sunflower seeds, but how much should I give them? I have five banties and three standards, twelve weeks old...

 

[egglicious]

Also, are pinless peepers permanent or can you eventually take them off? I feel bad going that route but might have to...

 

[farm-a-zootical]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I'm willing to try the peepers. With winter coming on I would love for the tetras to grow a few feathers back. The black sex links didn't have a feather out of place but were attempting to feast on the tetras which caused the tetras to pluck each other in return. Since I was sporting a new cast I simply sat back & watched them for a few days. Monkey see, monkey do. The worst ones picked were my 3 best layers. (It was obvious that they all need counseling) History: They have a choice of starting feed since they are 6 months old & laying feed. They have flock block. They have grit & calcium. They are free ranging more because of their attitudes but always get left over garden treats on a daily basis. They get canned catfood several days a week. Ivomec for mites & lice, the list goes on. I'd love more info on the peepers before we put them on, but this has been going on for a while & we're out of ideas. Don't want to farm them out because we've gotten so used to them. (You could tell they didn't like the taste of the bag balm sulfer mix I put on the bare bottomed girls, but it didn't stop them either.) Jealousy on steroids is what it reminds me of.

 

[farm-a-zootical]

By the way, my understanding is that you can def remove them or even give them a trial period to see of they forget their nasty habits after a few months of not being able to indulge in their bad behavior. Short chicken memory.

 

[tiki244]

http://www.avianweb.com/featherplucking.html


I found this when searching for something else. Maybe it will have something in it for you.

 

[egglicious]

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Wow there is a lot of neat stuff on this link. It got me thinking about maybe putting some Rescue Remedy in their water...

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Pet-Rescue-Remedy-1-Count/dp/B0030NWZUC

 

[Debbiedodo]

The pinless peepers are easy to remove. It took two of us to put them on. One to hold the bird still and the other to apply. We just spread the peeper open and inserted into nostrils. We did eight birds in about 10 minutes and that included catching them. We warmed them in hot water to make them more flexable but I'm not sure that that was necessary. Anyway, for us, it was a good experience.

 

[farm-a-zootical]

Thank you for your info, Deb. We got ours in the mail but DH is really hesitant about putting them on. They're plucking & pecking each other silly whenever the two breeds are together & he's afraid of inflicting pain? I'm hoping to talk him into very soon.