I think I found a miracle cure for feather picking

[azygous]

Does this look as if these critters are struggling to find space? Interestingly, the space in which most of them love to hang out is the "jail". LOL

 

[chickiemomy]

what a nice looking coop azygous! -- those chickens really won the lottery! your chickens are looking good too! you have a big heart - as does my hubby - I also don't know if I could 'cull' any of my chicks, but if one were that disruptive, I think I'd be tempted.

Pardon - not on thread -but lost my first chicken yesterday to a coyote, I think. Middle of the afternoon, only 20 feet or less from the house. Learned a lesson and am increasing security now. A little sad, but she was the one I knew would be the first to go - not the brightest. -- but also this wasn't due to her wanderings as she was close by. live & learn.

 

[azygous]

Thanks for the compliment. The pen is new, just built this fall. The old pen was just four feet high. My aging back just couldn't bend over any longer. I did it more for me than the chickens. Well, not really. I spoil them.

I'm so sorry you lost a hen to a coyote. Every time we lose a chicken to a predator, it's natural to blame ourselves, but the wild animals need to eat, and they are always looking for a weak spot in our security to get a meal. This is one reason for the large, covered pen.

Flo had another breakfast of meal worms and cat food, along with the hot oatmeal they all get on frosty mornings. The temp was just 2 degrees this morning. But, she's still hunting for feathers to yank. Her relapse hasn't yet subsided. She's currently in a nest box laying her egg.

 

[aart]

Does this look as if these critters are struggling to find space?

Certainley not! Looked at the rest of your pics, is that whole big red building the coop?

 

[azygous]

The red building is the covered run. The two coops attach to the run on either end, with another run coming off one coop at a ninety-degree angle.

It all began with the small, four by four foot coop with a small three-foot high run. Chicken math prevailed very early on, and so did the "adding on". This fall, after getting weary of bending over in the make-shift add-ons, I built the new, human-high, pen, over the existing run, then when it was completed, I tore out the old run inside, and built the nifty partitions. It creates complexity while giving me the ability to separate bullies, juveniles, and anything that comes up in the way of behavior issues.

The chickens hang out in the pen during the day and sleep in the enclosed coops at night, which are well insulated. During the summer, most of the plastic panels on the red building come down, permitting free flow of air. The roof is translucent corrugated panels, allowing for maximum light, while keeping out snow, rain, and predators.

 

[chickenlickin8]

Carol, how is FLO behaving today? I LOVE YOU SET UP and that you are Colorado! Beautiful! Your chickens are definitely not crowded in there. I have a smaller coop and mini run in our backyard but still not crowded. Previous flocks didn't eat feathers at all like of couple of my current hens do and I do everything the same as I always have....every time. Some chickens just come out with bad habits that never really go away. So for me, I think I'm about ready to set up the bator and start over! I just order fertile eggs on ebay...Black Australorp, Ameraucana, Cream Legbar, Blue Marans and Speckled Sussex! I like raising new flocks from scratch every 1 1/2 to 2 years and sell off the older birds on craigs list. Eggs will arrive this week..can't wait! I love hatching out those adorable little fuzz balls!

 

[azygous]

When I took Flo her meal worms this morning, I let her run amok for a few minutes. She ran to the oyster shell, nibbled some, then raced over to the nearest fluffy butt and plucked herself a tasty feather. Back to jail she went.

I'm not installing the peepers on her this time, hoping this relapse ends soon. But I'm suspecting the feather-picking goes beyond a protein deficiency and she's now operating from habit and compulsion. Besides, she's got so much operative brain matter, she picks feathers with as much ease wearing peepers as without.

I would love to raise a whole new flock of tiny fluff butts, but I'm so attached to all my chickens, I couldn't part with any. Each one has an endearing quality that has me captured. Flo's sweet qualities outweigh her big, annoying habit.

 

[chickenlickin8]

When I took Flo her meal worms this morning, I let her run amok for a few minutes. She ran to the oyster shell, nibbled some, then raced over to the nearest fluffy butt and plucked herself a tasty feather. Back to jail she went.

I'm not installing the peepers on her this time, hoping this relapse ends soon. But I'm suspecting the feather-picking goes beyond a protein deficiency and she's now operating from habit and compulsion. Besides, she's got so much operative brain matter, she picks feathers with as much ease wearing peepers as without.

I would love to raise a whole new flock of tiny fluff butts, but I'm so attached to all my chickens, I couldn't part with any. Each one has an endearing quality that has me captured. Flo's sweet qualities outweigh her big, annoying habit.

I know what you mean. They definitely grow on me too. I couldn't be without a coop of chickens in the backyard. Are your Speckled Sussex good layers? I've never own that breed before.

 

[azygous]

Except for their rather smallish eggs, SS are wicked good layers. I decided not to supplement light this winter, and the SS, along with the EEs are all coming back on line after finishing molt. That's with barely ten hours of daylight and fiercely cold weather.

I do plan on getting four new chicks this spring, maybe Marans. I have to raise fluff butts at least every other year or go through painful withdrawal symptoms.

 

[chickenlickin8]

Hi Carol, what's happening with Flo? I have been feeding FORCO and it's not quite a week yet. I'm hand feeding to the main offender which is a Gold Comet named "Sadie" and she is actively laying daily. It seems to have made a small difference. I can tell by looking at the back of one of my Ameraucanas she loves to pick on and I see pin feathers coming in Sadie has not picked at yet. We'll see as time goes on but I sold some hens this week so I'm down to 4 and I think I will sell them once all of my hatchlings are big enough to put in the big coop.

I ended up losing the bidding war on the Speckled Sussex eggs and won some Welsummer eggs instead. I also got some Lavender Orp eggs. I think I bought too many eggs...LOL! There won't be enough room in the bator....

I can put 41 eggs in the turner. Do I dare buy a second bator?? I would be in real trouble then!

I ended up purchasing Ameraucana, Lavender and Black Ameraucana, Black Australorp, Welsummer and Lavender Orps eggs. I had a chance to get Cream Legbar eggs but too expensive!