I may have finally found a cure for feather picking

[Stephine]

Glad you brought up the pinless peepers. They offer a valid strategy to control feather picking. I've used them a lot over all the years of keeping chickens. There is a danger connected to extended use, however.

I have two Sicilian Buttercups, a feisty, intelligent breed. Both have been problem pickers since I got them several years ago as chicks. I installed peepers on the worst one, and she wore them for over a year. I noticed she appeared to be having breathing issues so I removed them. When I pulled them off, I noticed one nare had completely grown shut from scar tissue from the irritation of the peeper prongs. I tried to removed the clog, but failed. She now has only one functioning nare.

I caution against leaving the peepers on a chicken longer than a few months to avoid tissue damage. Also, some chickens are such neurotic pickers, seemingly having this disorder wired into their brains, that they find workarounds for the limited vision the peepers cause. In these cases, the peepers are useless and not worth the risk of having the chicken wear them.

Good point. I have never had an issue with them and my GLW had a looong life with them. She never got to eat scratch treats (because she couldn’t find them), but she would have had to become stew were it not for the peepers (or live in solitary).

 

[Cheekychook12]

Just as a little update for anyone interested in my flock’s feather picking issue, I have separated the bully and the hens are growing their feathers back, slowly but surely
The bully freaked out when alone so she’s living contentedly with my bossy cockerel who doesn’t let her pick his feathers, they get along well