New member (chicken missing feathers!)

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50-45-1 said:
Roosters crow, you would know if you had one.
I wonder if these chickens are confined to a coop and run or free range?
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Thought so. OK, so it sounds like I don't have a rooster...

The chickens sleep in their nest, then they have quite a large coop where they hang out and have their feed. It's under a roof, but has fresh air passing through it entirely, as the "walls" are just metal netting. Sunshine can get in too. I let them totally outside every day though, where they can be in the sunshine and dig for bugs. I share meat, grain, and veggie scraps with them also.
 
janiedoe said:
Hi Kerry, welcome to BYC!
If you can place a camera in the coop, you'll most likely find your bully. I do agree that you should check them over for lice too.
Space, or lack thereof, on the roost could be an issue too. They need around a foot each on the roost at night. The more room they have both day and night the more harmonious their relations will be.
Best of luck with your flock and congratulations on your new home!
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So I've actually noticed the two large black ones are sleeping inside their nest. Like where they lay eggs! Those two seem to be the bullies, generally. I'll see them being food aggressive with the blonde and red one. I didn't build the coop, someone who raises chickens often did, but there are two sleeping poles that are maybe 4-5 feet long each. When I first moved in, I thought the chickens were always sleeping on their poles, but now the two big black ones seem to be sleeping in the nest regularly. Have you ever experienced this? There's really only space for two chickens in the nest at a time, so the two black ones sort of bogart that space all night, I guess. Perhaps it's an additional bully move?

How would I check them over for lice? What do they look like? And if they do have it, what do I do??

The chickens aren't super approachable, the only one that will let me touch her is the biggest bully, and she sort of squats down when I come near. Bennie, the red one with the bald spots, doesn't let me come near to her at all.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!
 
drumstick diva said:
Welcome to BYC. It would be great if you could observe the birds without being seen, to discover just what is happening . If you discover another bird causing this damage to her, I would put "pinless peepers," on the culprit. That should stop the damage/attacks.
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I don't know what pinless peepers are. Please advise.

I do notice the two larger chickens (both black) being food aggressive with the other two (one blonde and one red - the balding one) but the blonde one is fat like the two black ones and doesn't have the bald spots. She gets bullied in the same general way though, from what I've seen. The red one is by far the skinniest.

Thanks so much for your advice!
 
drumstick diva said:
You might also put out an extra feeder or two so the red skinny hen gets a chance to eat or separate her at chow time - so she can eat without being bullied
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The bullying that I do witness isn't enough to cause these three major bald spots. I see casual squaks and pecks, no real contact, and definitely no removal of feathers. There is no real "chow time" the feeder is just always up and they all feed whenever they want. When I bring treats (scraps) I do not see anything happen between the 4 chickens that would explain the bald spots, but I do see a general "pecking order."
 
KerryCooks said:
So I've actually noticed the two large black ones are sleeping inside their nest. Like where they lay eggs! Those two seem to be the bullies, generally. I'll see them being food aggressive with the blonde and red one. I didn't build the coop, someone who raises chickens often did, but there are two sleeping poles that are maybe 4-5 feet long each. When I first moved in, I thought the chickens were always sleeping on their poles, but now the two big black ones seem to be sleeping in the nest regularly. Have you ever experienced this? There's really only space for two chickens in the nest at a time, so the two black ones sort of bogart that space all night, I guess. Perhaps it's an additional bully move?

How would I check them over for lice? What do they look like? And if they do have it, what do I do??

The chickens aren't super approachable, the only one that will let me touch her is the biggest bully, and she sort of squats down when I come near. Bennie, the red one with the bald spots, doesn't let me come near to her at all.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Click to expand...
It sounds like it's been going on for a while unaddressed. The coop may have design flaws and they may need more space and/or more enrichment in the space.
Please start a new thread HERE and include pictures of your entire setup including the inside of the coop for suggestions on what you can do to improve the birds living situation.
These are PINLESS PEEPERS.
1623750019341.png

You put them on the birds beak and it basically prevents the from being able to see well enough to bully their victims but they can still eat and scratch around. They stay on for about 2 months before you take them off to see if they will leave their victim alone. Addressing the cause is important. These will help break the habit and if they've been provided with a proper environment, they will seek out appropriate behaviors vs resuming bullying.
 

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