Hen pulling out her own feathers??!

[carlyfloyd]

Troll the feed forum, a couple of names will come up again and again, as the community's most respected sources - but a tiny bit of basic information is all most people will ever need. Which is why we seemingly repeat ourselves several times daily for a couple of the more common questions.

Thanks! Sometimes I'll admit I feel overwhelmed at the amount of information in here . But I'll definitely take a look!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thanks! Sometimes I'll admit I feel overwhelmed at the amount of information in here . But I'll definitely take a look!

Its the internet, we are all anonymous, with all that entails. Advice from people hidden behind screens, of unknown experience and education. Caveat emptor and all...

Don't hesitate to ask for sources, supporting documentation, or just a better explanation. Plenty know enough to repeat the usual mantras (and for most situations, that's all that's needed). A few can explain why the mantra exists.

 

[3KillerBs]

A few can explain why the mantra exists.

I admit to getting out of my depth in re: feed beyond the most basic level.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I admit to getting out of my depth in re: feed beyond the most basic level.

I admit to frequently double checking sources, and sometimes, doing fresh research before responding. and other times, its "I don't know - let me see what I can dig up..."

 

[Leslie_Steele]

I'm so sorry. She does look pitiful. Are you certain that she's doing this to herself? What do you feed them, including treats? Whenever they're like this, they tend to peck at themselves, but I believe most times, they're itchy and reacting to that instead of plucking themselves. I'm sure it's not unheard of but I don't know anything about hens plucking themselves. It takes a lot of watching to see if she's actually plucking her own feathers out or just regular preening. Her flock could be plucking her, which is seen on BYC seldomly. This is usually due to the flock not having enough space, boredom or feeding issues (not getting enough protein). How many birds do you have? How big is your coop, minus the nesting boxes? I'll tag some members that will be more helpful
@3KillerBs @aart @LaFleche

I have six 8 month old hens that are doing that. They pluck themselves and eat the feathers. Someone told me to up their protein in there diet. Meanwhile I am trying vagisil on them. I hope that helps my girls. I also have a chicken vet calling me. I will lyk what he says.

 

[aart]

Someone told me to up their protein in there diet.

Yes, animal protein.

Meanwhile I am trying vagisil on them.

What?!?! Why?!?

 

[3KillerBs]

Meanwhile I am trying vagisil on them

What?