Help regarding feather eating?

[BroccoliForHens]

We have just had our hens for around 4 months, 5 lohman browns that are all around 1 to 1,5 years old. But after just a couple of weeks of having them, we noticed one of our hens eating the feathers of the others, especially during dust bathing. This continued and occured more and more often. We tried feeding them fish for more protein and tried anti-pecking spray (signature barrier anti-pecking spray), but none really seemed to help. We let them out in a big part of our garden with a fence around and for about a week the feather eating stopped. But now the problem has resurfaced even though they have plenty to do and forage in their run and we suspect this might have been a problem even before we got the hens and that it might have been delevoping for quite some time. She hasn't eaten enough for any bare skin to show, but the loss of feathers some places is notable. And we are worried it might develop into a bigger issue, where she starts pecking on flesh and creating wounds.

I've heard isolating of the problem bird doesn't really work and the other solutions haven't really worked for us; like more protein, anti pecking spray and reducing boredom. Any help would be greatly appreciated as we are quite worried.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Once they start it's a learned behaviour they won't stop even with higher protein

 

[BroccoliForHens]

Once they start it's a learned behaviour they won't stop even with higher protein

That's what we feared, is there any way to unlearn this behaviour though, or is putting down the problem hen the only option?

 

[Peaches Lee]

The only way for the feathers to not get eaten/plucked is to remove the hen from the flock. If you are braver than me, you could cull~or~if you're like me, give her a pen of her own.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

That's what we feared, is there any way to unlearn this behaviour though, or is putting down the problem hen the only option?

I would separate first and see if that stops her if not I would cull.before she teaches the rest to start plucking

 

[Sixandahalfacres]

My sister used pinless peepers with great success. Stopped the habit after a few weeks of wearing one.

 

[BroccoliForHens]

The only way for the feathers to not get eaten/plucked is to remove the hen from the flock. If you are braver than me, you could cull~or~if you're like me, give her a pen of her own.

Well giving her her own pen doesn't seem like a permanent solution if it doesn't unlearn her behaviour as I've heard they get unhappy alone, or would I be wrong?

 

[BroccoliForHens]

I would separate first and see if that stops her if not I would cull.before she teaches the rest to start plucking

If there is a chance for seperation to work we could try that. Seperation is only for the daytime right?

 

[Sixandahalfacres]

If there is a chance for seperation to work we could try that. Seperation is only for the daytime right?

I would put her in a large wire dog crate on the coop if you have space for that and leave her in there with her own food/water for a few days to a week and then try her out again.

 

[BroccoliForHens]

My sister used pinless peepers with great success. Stopped the habit after a few weeks of wearing one.

We could try that, do you think it would help even if the problem has been going on and developing for a long time?