Mean chicken!?!

[angc11]

It looks like your Salmon Faverolles doesn't have a beard/muffs. Did she always not have a beard or could someone be plucking her beard out? Mainly I am wondering if your other chickens are also feather plucking and you just haven't seen it yet. If she used to have a beard, that might mean multiple chickens are feather pluckers which could mean there's a lack of protein/boredom/lack of space for your whole flock. In that case I would follow all the advice above, especially using 20% protein feed and upping the clutter.

If you do all those things and she's still doing it and you're certain she's the only one doing it and she does it regularly to the detriment of your other hens, it might make sense for you to consider re-homing her. I had a feather plucking hen in my fully free ranging flock that I am certain have enough protein/space/mental stimulation. I ended up culling her (she was an extreme case that got worse and worse) and never had another problem with it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

ended up culling her

Culling her by rehoming, or by actually dispatching (killing) her? Culling actually means removing from the flock by various means.

 

[angc11]

Culling her by rehoming, or by actually dispatching (killing) her? Culling actually means removing from the flock by various means.

Yeah we dispatched her. I just didn't want to specifically mention that since that doesn't seem to be a viable option for this case. Culling always sounds nicer since it remains vague lol

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thanks. Just wanted clarity.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I chose the breeds I did because they are supposed to be docile and sweet.

You did the best you could but that is on average. There are always going to be outliers. It's like you can come up with an average height for 5th grade girls, but some are going to be shorter or higher than the average. The average Favorelles may be docile but you can always get an exception.

When she got big enough she would freak out if I tried to pick her up, but no biggie, the others are friendly and cuddly. Then she started biting me when I tried to interact with other chickens.

This just started in the last 2 days. I saw her doing it- she is just walking up to any other chicken and pecking it's back. She was just bopping around like a pinball pecking away!

For the feather picking you can try to alter her behavior. You can certainly try any of the things mentioned by others, something might work. I'd try isolating her from the flock for a week or so to see if that feather picking behavior changes when you let her back with the flock. I've had some success altering behaviors by using isolation but it does not always work.

There is nothing wrong with trying to alter behaviors, sometimes it works. But ultimately when it doesn't I want to solve for the peace of the flock. You have to be careful when around her, does that reduce your enjoyment of your flock? Other than feather picking I don't see where she is harassing or bullying your other pullets. But feather picking can sometimes escalate to other behavior. I'd want to stop it.

Good luck however you decide.

 

[Marybear]

Insufficient protein could be a problem; the size of the coop could be a problem, and boredom could be a problem. One solution might be to switch to a higher protein feed like grower or all-flock, which contain about 20% protein.

I realize you can't do much about the size of the coop short-term, but what about Pinless Peepers on the one pulling feathers? That might help.

And is there room in the run to add a little "clutter"? This is what we call items the chickens can use to get a little relief from each other. Things they can get under, on top of or behind, but there should be no blind alleys or dead ends. An old desk, table or a chair turned on its side will do. A pallet leaned up against a fence. Multiple feed and water stations where a chicken at one can't see the other(s). That sort of thing. A sandbox to give them something to do? A cabbage hung from a string?
I hope something I've suggested will help.

Thanks for the suggestions! The Pinless Peepers are a bit intimidating, especially since she bites! She goes after my hands if I even try to touch her or the other chickens (she hasn't got in a bite in a while though, since i learned her tricks!). I just ordered some saddles for the other girls though, to protect them and hopefully help them stay warm where the feathers are thinner now. I am going to up the protein, add some clutter, protect the other girls, and go from there. I want to keep her, but have come to terms with the idea that I may not be able to provide environment she needs, and if my efforts do not solve the problem I will find her a home with more space and/or more assertive chickens. BTW, my girls just let her peck them, they don't even try to get away or peck back, so that is probably part of the problem.

 

[Marybear]

You did the best you could but that is on average. There are always going to be outliers. It's like you can come up with an average height for 5th grade girls, but some are going to be shorter or higher than the average. The average Favorelles may be docile but you can always get an exception.




For the feather picking you can try to alter her behavior. You can certainly try any of the things mentioned by others, something might work. I'd try isolating her from the flock for a week or so to see if that feather picking behavior changes when you let her back with the flock. I've had some success altering behaviors by using isolation but it does not always work.

There is nothing wrong with trying to alter behaviors, sometimes it works. But ultimately when it doesn't I want to solve for the peace of the flock. You have to be careful when around her, does that reduce your enjoyment of your flock? Other than feather picking I don't see where she is harassing or bullying your other pullets. But feather picking can sometimes escalate to other behavior. I'd want to stop it.

Good luck however you decide.

Thank you for your thoughts on my situation. Until she started picking at the other chickens I wasn't bothered by her behavior. Her name is Ginger, and I call her my Spicy chicken. I considered isolating her for a bit, but I am concerned about making her be alone as it gets colder, and where I could keep her safe from predators. I agree that the behavior needs to stop, for the sake of the other hens! I haven't seen anything I'd think of as bullying, they all eat, drink, share treats, roost (well except one who has never roosted, she seems to like sleeping in the bedding) etc. The other chickens aren't doing anything when she's pecking them. That said, she is aggressive towards me so maybe it is just meanness.

 

[Marybear]

It looks like your Salmon Faverolles doesn't have a beard/muffs. Did she always not have a beard or could someone be plucking her beard out? Mainly I am wondering if your other chickens are also feather plucking and you just haven't seen it yet. If she used to have a beard, that might mean multiple chickens are feather pluckers which could mean there's a lack of protein/boredom/lack of space for your whole flock. In that case I would follow all the advice above, especially using 20% protein feed and upping the clutter.

If you do all those things and she's still doing it and you're certain she's the only one doing it and she does it regularly to the detriment of your other hens, it might make sense for you to consider re-homing her. I had a feather plucking hen in my fully free ranging flock that I am certain have enough protein/space/mental stimulation. I ended up culling her (she was an extreme case that got worse and worse) and never had another problem with it.

You bring up an interesting point, I

It looks like your Salmon Faverolles doesn't have a beard/muffs. Did she always not have a beard or could someone be plucking her beard out? Mainly I am wondering if your other chickens are also feather plucking and you just haven't seen it yet. If she used to have a beard, that might mean multiple chickens are feather pluckers which could mean there's a lack of protein/boredom/lack of space for your whole flock. In that case I would follow all the advice above, especially using 20% protein feed and upping the clutter.

If you do all those things and she's still doing it and you're certain she's the only one doing it and she does it regularly to the detriment of your other hens, it might make sense for you to consider re-homing her. I had a feather plucking hen in my fully free ranging flock that I am certain have enough protein/space/mental stimulation. I ended up culling her (she was an extreme case that got worse and worse) and never had another problem with it.

You know, when I was contemplating whether she is actually a Faverolles, I started thinking about the beard thing too. At one point she was growing one (pic attached from July). I will take a closer look when I go outside, but in recent pics she doesn't seem to have a beard, but also no sign of feather loss in that area. That said, she came from a local feed store, so probably not the best representation of the breed?