Help! Hens plucking one hen

[allameraucana]

Hi everyone

A while back my hen named Turkey lost some of her feathers on her throat. The dumb other ones keep plucking her feathers out there and she is, once again, bare and red in that area. She will get pin feathers and the others pluck them out, I've witnessed them. And Turkey doesn't doesn't defend herself! I think she's at the bottom of the totem pole. I've tried using the pick no more cover up lotion and it hasn't worked. Any other ideas??? I dont want to put a sock scarf on her, that would be a means of absolute last resort

Thank you!

 

[azygous]

Your victimized hen is identical to the hen that led me to develop a program to rehabilitate a bullied chicken instead of trying to deal with the bullies. Over the years, it's worked splendidly to restore self confidence in the victims and stop the bullying. In fact, just recently I used it successfully on a rooster that was being bullied due to a leg injury he'd been dealing with. Here's the article on how to do it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

It's not a quick fix. It can take up to three weeks. But this does work if you are serious about this issue.

 

[aart]

Have had several birds with plucked faces/necks.
It was not bullying, IMO, but overachieving 'grooming'.
The plucked birds just stood and accepted the behavior.
The feathers will grow back in after molt.
I hardly recognized my bearded girls once they got their muffs back!

 

[allameraucana]

Have had several birds with plucked faces/necks.
It was not bullying, IMO, but overachieving 'grooming'.
The plucked birds just stood and accepted the behavior.
The feathers will grow back in after molt.
I hardly recognized my bearded girls once they got their muffs back!

My ameraucana doesn't even have her beard anymore and it's so sad

 

[allameraucana]

Your victimized hen is identical to the hen that led me to develop a program to rehabilitate a bullied chicken instead of trying to deal with the bullies. Over the years, it's worked splendidly to restore self confidence in the victims and stop the bullying. In fact, just recently I used it successfully on a rooster that was being bullied due to a leg injury he'd been dealing with. Here's the article on how to do it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

It's not a quick fix. It can take up to three weeks. But this does work if you are serious about this issue.

Hi thank you for this. So, to make sure I have this clear, enclose the victim hen, only letting her mingle with the others for short periods of time. Over 2 weeks or so, gradually increase the amount of time she mingles with the others. Hopefully, by the end, she will have more confidence and more allow herself to be subjected to their plucking. Do I have that right?

 

[azygous]

Yes, that's correct.

 

[Paz]

I suggest you take her out with just one or two friends, keep them without the others for a couple weeks, and then put them back with the rest, when she’s all puffed up again.