Hen plucking and eating each other's feathers

[janet1]

What would you all recommend to put on the chickens who have had a number of feathers out to keep the others from pulling out even more?

 

[vlflower]

I have a hen that now has a bare spot above her tail feathers on her back. Yesterday was when I saw how large the spot was. I caught her and put a thick coat of Bag Balm on it (that was what I had on hand). I put some on it this morning also. It doesn't seem that it has gotten worse, but a couple of the tail feathers are broke and appear to be bleeding a bit this afternoon.

This is our first attempt at raising chickens and I've read about the blood attracting the others to peck her to death. If I clean her up and continue to put the Bag Balm on to stop the bleeding and help it heal, do you think she will be okay with the others.

I have a place that I can separate her if we need to, but will she be beat up on as a new hen when I put her back or will her "sisters" recognize it is her and let her be?

Sorry if these are kind of stupid questions....just not sure which direction to go in.

There aren't any mites and they have lots of coop and run room. They have constant feed and are given treats during the day, so I really don't feel these are any of the issues.

Thank you for any suggestions!

Vicki

 

[KevinG]

This dominance problem seems a possible answer to my problem. However, I'm not real sure what to do about it ... perhaps the separation treatment will work. I have three hens, no roosters, and it seems to be primarily one hen that is doing the plucking (both of the other hens have rather bare bottoms!). At one point I actually caught her at it and was able to stop it, but I doubt she'll just quit. I am applying "Peck No More" to the backsides of the two victims and it does seem to be slowing the plucking down ... however, I left off for a couple of days when things seemed better and pin feathers were coming in, and the picking began again in earnest. The girls get Laying Crumble (they seem to prefer it over the pellets), oyster shell, a "Hen Scratch" mix (three, or four seeds plus cracked corn) and I also add flax and safflower seeds to their diet (for the Omega 3 fatty acids) we also supplement them with kitchen scraps, including the occasional bits of meat (though not chicken!). They have a rather large enclosure set on bare ground and I let them out daily to scratch about and eat bugs and grass and "Miner's lettuce", but I can't leave them unattended because of the large number of local predators. On days when I can't let them out for more than the time it takes to clean their pen and collect eggs, I collect several handfuls of grass and miner's lettuce for them. Other than trying to separate the offender, I am at a loss.

One other question and perhaps this belongs in a different section ... but, will a chicken die from eating something like a salamander, or newt ... I know both of these creatures are toxic to any number of mammals, and even some snakes, but one of my chickens got hold of a salamander, while out scratching around. I was able to get it away from her, but it was not intact ... I don't know if she ate it, but she has shown NO ill effects. Anyone know if they're immune to these amphibians' poisons?

 

[herefishyfishy]

Sadly, I had to separate a hen from her biddies yesterday. I noticed the day before yesterday (Wednesday), that the biddies had feathers missing from their backs. Yesterday morning, I was standing at the door watching the coop, and saw her picking at one of them. I think it may well be the protein issue. The reason I say this is that, on Monday, we switched feed to a hen scratch, from chick starter. The chick starter had 23% protein, and the hen scratch has only 8 percent. Before this switch, we never saw this issue, except in our quail. When this bag is gone, we'll go back to a higher protein feed and just supplement with calcium for the egg shell integrity.

People have asked what to use to help them heal where they've been pecked to bleeding; I use furazone. You can find it in the feed store, equine section. I find that it heals any wounds very quickly and this is what I used on the quail. Also, add some Sulmet (for 5 days) to their water to further prevent infection. If the wound is really bad, be sure to separate, if you have the facilities to do so, otherwise the chick may still be pecked.

 

[edcm453]

Hi:
I am having the same problem with some baby chicks I purchased 2 weeks ago from a hatchery in Cameron Texas. My chichs have a very large space to run in and are getting all the medicated chich feed they can eat. Still some are pecking feathers from other chicks until there is nothing left but raw meat on their backend. Now, they are eating the meat until itis bleeing. I have watched some of these chicks doing this from day one. If you find an answer to this problem, please let me know. I have tried ever method told to me so far, and nothing is working. I have had to seperate the hurt chicks to their own private cage to let them heal.

 

[azygous]

You would have better luck, I think, getting people involved in discussing your problem, if you had begun your own thread instead of adopting one that's five years old.

That said, I will offer this advice. Chicks who pick feathers this young will keep on into adulthood. If you are of the stomach to do so, I'd recommend culling the culprits.

If this isn't an option for you, try spreading Rooster Booster Pick-no-more on the wounded and bald areas of the victims. That might help discourage further picking.

 

[calcablesdeb]

Hi, I have 4 hens, 1 barred rock, 2 red star? and a buff orpington. I have had several problems since I bought them last year February.
Every now and then I get a shell less egg, from one of the red stars. Now I have gotten one from the Barred Rock. Can tell by the eggs...Now they are all eating each others feathers except for the off of the Buff... I see that it may be a protein deficiency, but the get all the goodies from the house and free range for a couple of hours almost everyday, they have a generous area for living quarters in and out. What can I do to stop this
.

 

[IGmom]

I am having the same problem. I have a nice sized chicken house and their pen is a grassy 40x50area. Plenty of food, Layena crumbles with oyster shell added, plenty of fresh water. Plus scraps. I have several silkies, a black australorp, two RIR's, and a silver laced wyandotte. All girls with one silkie roo. The black one started missing feathers above her tail first then I sold 8 RIR's thinking they were bullying her but it has continued and now I can definitely tell someone is pecking her as she is missing more and more feathers on her back. Can see them do it yet. I think I will try the no peck stuff from TSC and see if that helps.

 

[chickenalia]

Many thanks for the info contained in here. I have 4 girls and one in particular is feather pecking and eating them. I will try the protein thing first then move on to the more drastic removal of the culprit I know which one it is so I will mark her in case they all start it. any more ideas gratefully taken on board. Don't want to kill one, but would rather see if I can rehabilitate her, even on her own.

 

[calcablesdeb]

I tried Baby powder so they would all smell the same, put seven down under the wood chips and tried poultry protector from tsc and I think I may go with the bleach spray down and full inside cleaning... now they are all missing some feathers and my barred rock looks like somebody tried to shave her and she got away...