How to get hen to stop plucking feathers from others

[mxmarg]

Have the same problem and the linked thread is offering different ideas. ...get a cup o coffee and snuggle in for a while...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697052/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking

 

[DimondaleBergs]

What do you do if it's multiple chickens plucking feathers out of each other? LOL I've tried adding more protein, they have more than a big enough coop and run area....The ones that are pluckees are also pluckers.

 

[cafarmgirl]

What do you do if it's multiple chickens plucking feathers out of each other? LOL I've tried adding more protein, they have more than a big enough coop and run area....The ones that are pluckees are also pluckers.

Sometimes if an entire flock gets this habit into their heads it can be almost impossible to break them of it. Getting them completely out of their coop/run might help but I know that's not an option for everyone. If there's a large yard or pasture or any large grassy place that could be fenced in for them, any place where they can just get out and spend their time foraging instead of focusing on each other, might just work. My birds have access to about 3/4 acre of pasture and when somebody gets uppity they just spread out in the grass and bushes, lots of room to get away from each other for a while. They stay busy all day and wear themselves out running around and foraging, no time for silly things like picking each other lol.

 

[Tucs]

Thank you for this comment, I think it might help us out. I have three seven months old hens. One meaner spirited BO who is obviously on top of the pecking order, one RIR, who is sweet and playful and who is still not laying, plus one very sweet Aumeraucana who is clearly the smartest of the flock. Typically she sits in my lap like a dog and gets out of the way of Miss Greedy, but today she plucked feathers from my mellow RIR who did not really care for it.
After reading what you had to say I am pretty sure that she is bored, I will let her roam tomorrow, although my husband is worried about his tomato plants
Any other ideas????

 

[azygous]

You should meet my five-year old veteran feather picker Flo who has a gonzo thread about her wicked ways. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697052/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking She is also very smart, acts like a lap dog, and is of the same breed as your girl.

She's been feather picking since she was three months old. Lately, for wont of anything else to try, I've been hollering at her when I catch her in the act. Then I holler again the second she resumes the behavior. "Flo!", hollered real loud and sharp, gets her attention and she stops in mid-feather grabbing. She stops the behavior and doesn't resume it. I can only conclude that this aversion therapy seems to be working since she has almost ceased the behavior after a month of this.

Flo knows her name and comes to me when I call her, so this could be a factor in the success of this strategy, but I would think it would work even if a chicken didn't know her own name, but associated the behavior with the unpleasant experience of being shouted at.

It could work. Give it a try.

 

[Tucs]

First of all Thank you for sharing!!! I love this site, where I can indulge in my chicken doting with like minded people! I am not sure if my hens know their names since they all hurry to the door of their run as soon as they hear us, but I did see signs indicating they are open to behavior modification. I am pretty sure it is not a nutritional deficit, although that was my first thought, but they eat better than most humans and their shells are solid.They have been getting a ton of attention since they were three days old, hence boredom could play a role. I will monitor the behavior and will start hollering if necessary

 

[azygous]

That's why I love BYC, too. We're all in this together, and if there's such a thing as a "hive mind", we gots-it! What would be impossible to solve alone, here we pool resources and experience, and come up with all sorts of innovation! Welcome aboard!

We'll be checking back to see what you have to report!

 

[collingwood]

I had the same problem but my rooster sorted it out!