grr one of my hens is pulling out tail and bum feathers on two of the others

[tracytheone]

hi i have 4 large foul living in the same pen and coup. i have 3 copper, marans they have been together since hatching i bought them in sept at 15 weeks old, and another one which turned up in my garden and they have all been together since the sept time last yr. the biggers to the marans is pulling the feathers out and eating them just off the other two marans and not doing it to the other, but the other hasnt laid since we found it, so not sure if that has something to do with it. ive been at a loss as what to do as i caught the bugger pulling at them even when they were outside. ive read up on it best i can and am considering using a anti peck sray but am wondering if it works as it may do it on another part of them. do i leave this hen in a seperate place with a small run till there feathers grow back or will it keep doing it. i really dont have alot of room spare and dont think this one will be happy on her own, but its her own fault. what can i do at my wits end with the bugger! x

 

[tracytheone]

is there anyone there

 

[bugflipper]

Put it in the crock pot. The simplest solution is to end the suffering of the good ones.

 

[theoldchick]

The lack of space may be the problem. If chickens are overcrowded they will peck each other. You can try a product called, "Peepers". They are plastic lens that fit over the hen's eyes, and are designed to limit the bird's vision so they can't see enough to peck another bird, but can still see to eat off the ground. However, one BYC member noted her hens learned to see around it and start pecking again.

Diet may be another factor in your feather picking problem. Add a variety of food to their diet, including cooked meat. You can feed dry cat food several times a week in addition to laying pellets and scratch feed. Your hens will also enjoy a variety of greens in their diet.

If you think your hens are bored, you can make your own food dispenser out of a plastic soda bottle. A 16 oz size will do. All you have to do is put several holes in the bottle, add scratch feed and put the top on. Then roll the bottle across the ground and allow your chickens to peck at the bottle. They will learn how to make the food fall out by pecking and pushing the bottle. Some people hang the bottle from twine to allow it to swing and scatter the seed.

A feather plucker can be difficult to manage, but if you use your imagination you may have success when dealing with this problem. If nothing works then you have to protect your other hens and get rid of the plucker.