MY YOUNGEST BUFF ORP IS 19 WEEKS

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

last night in the coop which is totally covered with wire where my 16 hens roost at night, i have a young pullet buff orp that has been intergrated for a few weeks now, she is a loner , got her to keeep my baby silkie company when my other silkie was eaten by a raccoon, so long story short, i have taken her out of the rooster coop, turns out that silkie that survived is a cockerel.....last night i found her with a cut on her head and her beak looks like a sore on it and she must have lost at least 100 feathers, they were everywhere in the coop, she usually roosts all by herself in a remote part of the coop.....no other injuries on her, we set up a large dog crate with baby hardware cloth so she can be safe but should i leave her in their alone or put some other hens in there with her????? but the funny thing is one of my barred rocks was eating her feathers this morning......is that strange, never saw that before...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens will eat feathers. Sometimes it means they need more protein in their diet. What are you feeding? I would suspect other chickens were pecking her.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

Chickens will eat feathers. Sometimes it means they need more protein in their diet. What are you feeding? I would suspect other chickens were pecking her.

she is on purina layena pellets...why would the other hen suddenly start pecking her after her being in the same coop for weeks...i was thinking maybe a rat could have gotten in he coop?????

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I get rats every fall coming in my shed. They generally just eat a lot of feed and don't bother the chickens. Your young one is all by herself, so she will continue to be a target just because she's on the bottom of the pecking order. I recommend a feed with 18% protein. I had some feather plucking when I read a layer in the past. I now feed an All Flock or a non medicated starter grower with a separate bowl of oyster shells for the calcium needs.

 

[cmom]

Once in awhile I will see my birds eating some feathers. It's not uncommon. My best suggestion is to put a camera in the coop and see what is happening. One picture can be worth a thousand words. If it is a protein deficiency, most game bird feeds are higher in protein. Prior to breeding season I switch my breeders over to Game Bird Breeder feed which is higher in protein and the chicks, I have been feeding them Game Bird Starter which is also higher in protein than regular starter/grower. When they are about 2 months old I switch the chicks over to grower pellets. Good luck and have fun...

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

Once in awhile I will see my birds eating some feathers. It's not uncommon. My best suggestion is to put a camera in the coop and see what is happening. One picture can be worth a thousand words. If it is a protein deficiency, most game bird feeds are higher in protein. Prior to breeding season I switch my breeders over to Game Bird Breeder feed which is higher in protein and the chicks, I have been feeding them Game Bird Starter which is also higher in protein than regular starter/grower. When they are about 2 months old I switch the chicks over to grower pellets. Good luck and have fun...

my hens just lay eggs, they are all over a year old except for this one little buff