Hens continue to pick on one...

[15chxinTX]

We have 14 hens...1 Barred Rock, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 1 Cuckoo Maran, and 10 EE's. Three of our EE's are younger, but the older "girls" have decided to continually pick at one of the younger ones. She has no feathers under her beak, and is missing several on her neck and upper shoulders where they grab and pull. I need advice on how to get her feathered back out and possibly how to stop the others. They free-range our acre back yard but we do have a smaller mobile tractor like coup. We just have not wanted to separate them especially when it has been so hot. Any advice out there?? Thanks in advance.

 

[colebarnhart]

They make feather guards for hens, but yours might still be too small to buy one, but you could make one. She'll feather back eventually and if you're not seeing blood at this point, you might want to just let it go and not isolate her, because she'll just go thru the pecking order thing again and then still be on the bottom.

 

[15chxinTX]

Quote:
I'm curious, what is a feather guard? I don't think I have ever seen one. So far no blood, just a lot of pecking and pulling. She is a really pretty hen, maybe they are just jealous!

 

[colebarnhart]

Quote:
I'm curious, what is a feather guard? I don't think I have ever seen one. So far no blood, just a lot of pecking and pulling. She is a really pretty hen, maybe they are just jealous!

Check out the link below

http://www.hensaver.com/

This is only one of many makers of these things and they are called different names and I think there are people here on BYC that make and sell them, but you can search google or yahoo. I've read where you want to avoid the ones with snaps and go with the solid elastic strap design.