I think I found a miracle cure for feather picking

[Mavrik]

You didn't go high enough on protein, as you seen, it's starting to work. There still is the occasional mean bird that does like pluck, all my BR's are pluckers, but dawn peepers now, which stopped it.

 

[azygous]

As I see it, if a few of us here at BYC are willing to offer up our flocks as test cases for Forco, the rest of you have nothing to lose by coming back to this thread from time to time and checking to see what, if any, developments have occurred. It's been maybe three months that my flock has been on the Forco supplement, and I see no problems developing, and mostly positive results.

My worst feather picker Flo has mildly reverted to her bad behavior the past few days. It's nothing like it was before, though, where she engaged in a frenzy of running from one hen to the next yanking feathers. I have a hunch she hasn't been getting her share of the Forco scoops I provide each morning. This morning I gave her her Forco segregated from the others, and will continue to do so until I see her improve again.

If we can experiment with this supplement and we can report continuing success with no ill effects, it could be a real break-through treating the problem of feather picking.

By the way, my flock has been eating a 50/50 mix of layer feed and flock raiser feed, and it had no effect on their tendency to pick feathers. They have also sported peepers, and that only solved the problem in half of them, the others adjusting to the limited vision and snatching feathers anyway. This really is a last resort for me. I've tried everything else.

 

[7L Farm]

Could be but too much protein can harm the birds too. Like I said I'm gonna try Forco & see what happens. My birds get a lot of protein. I have three gardens, I feed them Quail eggs, & there's a million grasshoppers here. Its just a bad habit & a long story of what happened. Will see. Chickens at least mine just pick on each other. Again, maybe there's some ingredient in Forco that will help them who knows?
My chickens have never drawn blood they just like to peck on each other. Some will not even let the others take one feather. Guess its a chicken thing.

 

[FireTigeris]

interesting.

 

[chickendaddy'swife]

should you feed (game bird feed) to chickens in molt??

 

[Mavrik]

Sure it's up to you if want to experiment on your birds, but your on an open forum and pushing the use of a product that shouldn't be used on birds. The correct nutrition is the real answer. Your messing around with bacteria levels in the digestive track without consulting an avian vet. Your "magic" results won't be followed up by a necropsy by an avian vet to see what damage was done to the digestive track, etc.

A 50 pound bag of 24% protein game bird feed is about $20. Much cheaper than your horse probiolic at $25 for five pounds, not to mention the game bird feed is nutritious and made for birds. Seems strange to me one would choose a more expensive and risky additive over a simple nutrition adjustment.

7L, You already said that when you boosted the protein in the feed you saw reduced feather plucking. Seems strange that you are steering away from this and insist on using a probiolic instead. I suggest you bump protein up a little more or give it more time.

 

[azygous]

Mavrik, I appreciate your concern about this supplement being fed to chickens. You seem to have knowledge and experience regarding probiotics for poultry. Can you enlighten us as to the proper dosage of probiotics for poultry so that intestinal damage doesn't occur? Or are you discouraging all probiotic use for poultry?

If we continue to use this product, can you give us an idea of what we might see in our chickens if damage is occurring? What symptoms should we be looking for?

I love all my chickens with a tender passion, and dread that anything might injure them or make them sick.

I would never knowingly do anything to hurt them. I thought probiotics were good for all living creatures. Are there different probiotics for different species? Are mammal probiotics different than poultry probiotics?

Enlighten us.

 

[7L Farm]

I upped their protein with GBS to help them grow their feathers back. As far as feather picking I had to get rid of my roo & then I separated the ones that were pecked on the most to let them grow their feathers back & disrupt the pecking order. I did this for months it was quite an ordeal. As mentioned its not recommended to over feed to much protein so I was told. I'm no nutritionist expert for birds thats for sure. This is getting on my nerves so I think I shall call Forco & ask them about all this in great details. People give chickens medicines that is for swine & horses & the medcine doesn;t say its for chickens so I've heard. I've never given mine any medicines of any sort. Hope I don't ever have too. I would think the Forco people would of told me that the stuff is not good for your chickens because I told Forco that was the reason of purchase.
The Forco company surely wouldn't want bad press about their product would they? If I owned Forco & some customer called me as the owner & said I'm gonna feed this to my chickens & I knew it was bad I would tell them no its for horses only.

 

[azygous]

Yeah, you'd think. I e-mailed the rep at Forco and asked him to clarify things as far as dosage and stuff. They're awfully good at replying so, I'll post what he says when I get it.

 

[7L Farm]

Yeah, you'd think. I e-mailed the rep at Forco and asked him to clarify things as far as dosage and stuff. They're awfully good at replying so, I'll post what he says when I get it.

Thanks, I'll try & call them right now.