Hen's tailfeathers being plucked out

[ddiaz1975]

I have 10 rhode Island reds with one rooster and 9 Hens. Recently we noticed that one of our hens wasmissing some of her tailfeathers. after observing for a while we noticed that the rooster seems to pluck them out. is this normal? It has become worse over time and now we are noticing taht some of the others are having their feathers plucked out. How do we stop this?

 

[7L Farm]

I have 9 Reds & 1 Red roo & have the same problem. This behaviour has been going on forever my chickens look like they have been at war. I have tried every gimmick in the book. I tried more protien & their still at war. They still lay eggs really well. Yesterday evening I pulled them off the roost one by one & applied pine tar its my final attempt. There's nothing more I can do I hope it works. Good Luck !!!!

 

[Judy]

As 7L Farm indicates, it can be a very persistent problem. However, some are able to get it stopped. The usual causes are too little protein, boredom and too little space. Sometimes it happens because people give so many treats, trying to be kind to them, that they end up reducing the protein intake.

From the FAQ page:

My chickens are pecking/eating each other's feathers:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=34705
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=31291
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=36139
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=30486