How do you stop feather eating/ pecking?

[coopmama]

People will continue to respond, until this post gets buried under newer posts. No one is going to read all 60+ posts, so you will continue to get repeating advice. Just ignore, it will get buried and forgotten eventually.
Is Bertha behaving?

I know. I just feel crappy, like people think I haven't actually tried anything. And I'm actually really upset about the situation, so I guess I'm being touchy. I don't know.

No. She isn't any better. I watched her peck a feather out of the roosters butt yesterday. I hope she doesn't keep it up. Or if she does, I hope he pecks her back & maybe she'll stop. Then, shortly after she did that, Percy wanted in the coop with them. So I let her in to see if Bertha would behave. I wish I would've videoed it. She gets SO fixated on Percy's butt. It's almost like she can't look away. Then she goes after her. She was able to peck her a couple of times before I could grab Percy out. I don't understand why she lets Bertha do that. She doesn't react at all. Goliath didn't react when I saw her do it to him either. Meanwhile she drew a little blood on Percy yesterday. You'd think that would hurt like hell. Even if she's been doing it for years. It has to hurt. I really hope Goliath settles her down. He's easily 5x larger than her. I don't even want to consider the possibility that he'll let her bully him.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I get it, but try not to let others bother you. It isn't personal, and anyone who has had animals for anytime will assure you we all have had set-backs and disappointments. Bertha and Percy are not your fault, so accept it for what it is, Not Your Fault. I am faced with a culling too, and it is my fault, so I feel your frustration.
Hopefully Goliath will set her in her place soon, but if it doesn't work stop blaming yourself.

 

[coopmama]

Thank you f

I get it, but try not to let others bother you. It isn't personal, and anyone who has had animals for anytime will assure you we all have had set-backs and disappointments. Bertha and Percy are not your fault, so accept it for what it is, Not Your Fault. I am faced with a culling too, and it is my fault, so I feel your frustration.
Hopefully Goliath will set her in her place soon, but if it doesn't work stop blaming yourself.

Thank you for your kind words. I know it's not my fault. I just have a hard time giving up- especially on animals.

 

[Shadow722]

Shadow722, you have a chicken named Shadow as well? my Shadow is the pretty roo in my profile. standing beside his hen Midnight. she died a couple of years ago. that was my only pic of her.

I just traded a Blue Splash Marans for a Black Marans hen. I decided to call her Shadow. She's as black as a raven and I thought it a fitting name.

 

[jak2002003]

I'm not trying to be rude, but I've addressed all of these points in the numerous posts I've made in this thread. What you can see in the picture is less than half of that coop, but I agree- I still think it is small. When we got it Percy, Bertha, & another hen lived in it. The enclosed end is big enough for two hens to sleep & nest in very comfortably. The door is opened by 9am every single day- most of the time earlier- and is only closed after they go in (on their own) at dusk. They have numerous kinds of chicken food they can choose from. They get fresh fruits & vegetables almost daily due to the fact that my in laws never eat out. They get mealworms & oat treats. They have several acres to free range on. These two were adults when I got them, and not well cared for. I have done loads of research & tried everything that I have come across so far. I do not want my other chickens to learn this behavior. I'm lucky they haven't so far. Since she was broody for a good bit of the summer, we thought maybe getting her a rooster would A) put her in her place & B) we would let her hatch an egg & were hoping that it'd keep her occupied & she'd leave everyone else alone. She is still exhibiting the same behavior though. It's only been a week, but nothing we have tried has worked. I'm sick of worrying & being upset over it. And I'm not going to keep the other chickens "cooped up" all of the time because she can't behave & it's equally unfair to keep her cooped up while the others are out all of the time. I can't seem to find a solution that benefits her AND keeps me & the other chickens happy and stress-free.

OK.. sorry.. I was just offering my advise...

If you have tried everything and can't find a solution and no one could help you in more than 60 posts, and you are sick of worrying about it..... then I guess you can't stop it = eat the chicken!

 

[PapaChaz]

just checking back in with an update. I started putting the peck no more on the rooster, and that got her to stop pecking at him and his feathers have all grown back in. BUT, then she started pecking her own feathers out!

I believe this to be a protein deficiency, although none of the other chickens are doing it. I've covered her with peck no more and switched to a 22% layer pellets. I'm getting very few eggs, so hopefully the extra protein will take care of it.

I know it's not over crowding, I only have 11 in this particular coop and run, and the run is over 220 square feet. I usually hang them a head of cabbage to peck at, though it gets gone pretty quickly. My next trip to TSC I'm going to check on the treat blocks and see if that will help. If it will last more than just a few hours, LOL

 

[alibabba]

So, possible diffiency,probably not, with the free range. Change it up, put the baddies in their own pen. Spray bottoms with the blue stuff. If they don't quit...gotta go. I'll bet behavior MOD works... Seems They have little memory.

 

[coopmama]

just checking back in with an update. I started putting the peck no more on the rooster, and that got her to stop pecking at him and his feathers have all grown back in. BUT, then she started pecking her own feathers out! 

 I believe this to be a protein deficiency, although none of the other chickens are doing it. I've covered her with peck no more and switched to a 22% layer pellets. I'm getting very few eggs, so hopefully the extra protein will take care of it. 

I know it's not over crowding, I only have 11 in this particular coop and run, and the run is over 220 square feet. I usually hang them a head of cabbage to peck at, though it gets gone pretty quickly. My next trip to TSC I'm going to check on the treat blocks and see if that will help. If it will last more than just a few hours, LOL

Funny that you posted this. I now have Percy & Bertha separated from one another. They have been separated since Christmas. Bertha is living in the smaller coop with the rooster Goliath. They seem to be doing well together, although she has not laid an egg for several months. I think they are just roommates. Both appear to have all of their feathers intact, which means that Bertha is not pecking him. That makes me very happy. She is even growing more feathers herself, and is actually looking more like a Silkie, which I am sure she is part, due to her black skin, legs, and eyes, as well as her blue ears. She attacked the barn cat one day a couple of weeks ago, and I felt sure that she would have to go as soon as it gets warm out. However, this weekend she changed somehow. She actually came out of the coop & didn't run away from me. She voluntarily sat on my lap for over 30 minutes & let me pet her. She has let me pet her several times since then, and no longer seems terrified of me. I hope she has been reformed & can live happily on our farm.

So, also this weekend, I was cleaning out the big coop where Percy lives with my babies. I can't even give a guess at how many white feathers are in the coop. She's the only white one in there. I am very certain the others aren't pecking her; I am sure that she is pecking her OWN feathers! Her tail has filled in some, and there are some new feathers on her butt, but it still has bare spots. I don't know what to think. I'm all for rescuing unwanted or abused animals, but these two are making me nuts!

Since it has been cold & snowing recently, their free ranging has been supplemented with cabbage and fresh vegetables daily (corn, peas, carrots, beans), as well as oatmeal, raisins, mealworms, sunflower seeds, etc. I am 100% positive this is not nutrition related. I know sometimes broody hens will pull their feathers out to keep their eggs warm, but while she has been laying pretty much daily, she isn't broody at all. I give up trying to fix it. They are all obviously very healthy, and aside from bizarre behavior, I hope they are all happy. That's the best I can do!

Bertha & Goliath

Goliath with the girls -- Percy is the white one!

 

[PapaChaz]

Funny that you posted this. I now have Percy & Bertha separated from one another. They have been separated since Christmas. Bertha is living in the smaller coop with the rooster Goliath. They seem to be doing well together, although she has not laid an egg for several months. I think they are just roommates. Both appear to have all of their feathers intact, which means that Bertha is not pecking him. That makes me very happy. She is even growing more feathers herself, and is actually looking more like a Silkie, which I am sure she is part, due to her black skin, legs, and eyes, as well as her blue ears. She attacked the barn cat one day a couple of weeks ago, and I felt sure that she would have to go as soon as it gets warm out. However, this weekend she changed somehow. She actually came out of the coop & didn't run away from me. She voluntarily sat on my lap for over 30 minutes & let me pet her. She has let me pet her several times since then, and no longer seems terrified of me. I hope she has been reformed & can live happily on our farm.

So, also this weekend, I was cleaning out the big coop where Percy lives with my babies. I can't even give a guess at how many white feathers are in the coop. She's the only white one in there. I am very certain the others aren't pecking her; I am sure that she is pecking her OWN feathers! Her tail has filled in some, and there are some new feathers on her butt, but it still has bare spots. I don't know what to think. I'm all for rescuing unwanted or abused animals, but these two are making me nuts!

Since it has been cold & snowing recently, their free ranging has been supplemented with cabbage and fresh vegetables daily (corn, peas, carrots, beans), as well as oatmeal, raisins, mealworms, sunflower seeds, etc. I am 100% positive this is not nutrition related. I know sometimes broody hens will pull their feathers out to keep their eggs warm, but while she has been laying pretty much daily, she isn't broody at all. I give up trying to fix it. They are all obviously very healthy, and aside from bizarre behavior, I hope they are all happy. That's the best I can do!


Bertha & Goliath


Goliath with the girls -- Percy is the white one!

a couple of things. Some breeds just stop laying around thanksgiving and start back around the end of Jan/first of Feb. My Ameraucanas stopped laying right before Thanksgiving, and in the last 3 days I've gotten 2 eggs, so I'm thinking they're about to get started back, and it's about time! the freeloaders been eating all them layer pellets and not payin their way, HAHAHA

the other thing is, I have a couple of white leghorns that are molting, and it sounds like if you have feathers everywhere, she's not pulling them, they're coming out on their own. I thought it was weird that nature would have a chicken lose it's feathers during the coldest time of year, but reading up on it, it's actually not that unusual. I think thats probably what's going on with yours.

 

[coopmama]

a couple of things. Some breeds just stop laying around thanksgiving and start back around the end of Jan/first of Feb. My Ameraucanas stopped laying right before Thanksgiving, and in the last 3 days I've gotten 2 eggs, so I'm thinking they're about to get started back, and it's about time! the freeloaders been eating all them layer pellets and not payin their way, HAHAHA

the other thing is, I have a couple of white leghorns that are molting, and it sounds like if you have feathers everywhere, she's not pulling them, they're coming out on their own. I thought it was weird that nature would have a chicken lose it's feathers during the coldest time of year, but reading up on it, it's actually not that unusual. I think thats probably what's going on with yours. 

Haha, okay. I figured that Bertha was just taking a winter break from laying. I was hoping she would start laying again in spring. I don't know how old she is, so I was hoping that she wasn't just "done".
Also, I had considered molt, but I wasn't sure because she doesn't look like she's missing any feathers, and I thought it would be more noticeable or obvious. I thought maybe she was plucking out her downy feathers since she doesn't look scraggly. Haha, I don't know what to think. She seems kind of anti social at the moment too, so I suspect you are right about the molt. Thanks so much! I'll keep you updated. I hope things are going well with your flock!