Mean chicken picking on the rest of the flock

[laurelandcheryl]

--Just food for thought; your chickens don't know there was a time change! They are getting less light because there are fewer hours of daylight in winter, but that has nothing to do with the time change.

During moult, I have seen hens pull their own falling feathers out, and yes, it does look like a massacre. My white Leghorns all moulted over three days this fall and the pasture looked like it had snow on the ground. One of my EEs looked like she'd been plucked after she moulted. They may have bare skin for a bit before the pin feathers poke through.

Since you have your RIR locked up, you should be able to tell easily if she's the one doing the feather pulling, since it should stop.

You are absolutely right! They don't know about the time change. Only having less daylight!

To give everyone an update - I've reintroduced my RIR to the flock. She was happy to be back with them. It seems as though it was a molt. As a first time chicken owner, I had no idea how many feathers they could drop basically overnight! My parrot molts, but nothing like these girls! So first time chicken owners - I guess it's "normal" to have your coop look like there was a pillow fight!

 

[MyPetNugget]

Am glad you posted this because there were feathers everywhere in my coop too!

The RIR's and one barred rock (not Nugget)
have been pecking. They just flare up and peck. Do they like to peck while they are molting? Sorry if i'm intruding on somebody's thread.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Am glad you posted this because there were feathers everywhere in my coop too!
...
They just flare up and peck. Do they like to peck while they are molting? ...

The appearance of the aftermath of a pillow fight is a sure sign of either a predator attack or molt. And yes, it is overnight in both cases.
Feathers are 90% protein, so to build a new winter coat, they need extra protein.
They will eat feathers.
If they perceive a wound, they'll peck that also.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Sometimes they will peck at the pin feathers growing in because they look different from the way the hen normally looks. I just had one poor hen lose all her new tail feathers because her flock-mates pulled the pin feathers out.

Watch carefully for any blood from broken pin feathers. They have a blood vessel in them until they stop growing, and your chickens will peck anything red and can kill a bird this way without meaning to. If you see blood, cover it with something like Blu-Kote so it isn't red any more. If the pecking is really bad, you may want to invest in some pinless peepers for the worst offender.