Newbie looking for advice on increasing protein in flock diet: Feather-pecking issue

[Chicken2628]

you can get covers for their backs.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

They do tuck into the mealworms, but I was wondering if other insects or even beef is an option?

For extra protein with bugs.

Get a bucket that has a tight seal lid.
Drill lots of holes in the lid, sides and underneath the bucket.
Place a carcass of some sort or meat scarps wrapped in paper in the bucket.
Hang the bucket in the chicken run.
The flies will enter in the holes, lay eggs.
When the eggs hatch the maggots instinct is to bury down, they fall through the holes onto the ground, then into the ready mouth of your flock...YUM

.
Make sure at night when the hens are not out to eat the bug that you put a dish down, to stop the maggots from actually digging into the earth and then pupating and turning into flies.

Good Luck!

 

[TwoCrows]

I also have a chicken producing shell-less eggs. Would be great to be able to help her out.

I have a hen that has had the same issue over the years. Tried every kind of calcium on the side, in the feed. Tried different feeds, supplements, supplements with calcium etc....But I recently found this stuff and it seems to have fixed the issue...




It does have added Vitmamins D and D3, which really does help with calcium absorption, however having tried other products with D and D3 with no effect on shell quality or the ability to even put the shell on, I believe it is the type of calcium being administered here...Cuttlebone calcium.

I dust it right onto damp feed like I am powdering up a chocolate cake with powdered sugar. The dampness of the feed allows it to stick to the feed instead of all thru to the bottom. I use a heavy dog bowl and mix it in together. I do this everyday and it seems to have fixed her shell less issues. In fact, everybody lays extremely hard shelled eggs, and I can no longer tell hers apart from the others.

I will also tell you that feeding too many treats throughout the day will also cause a hen to lay shell less, double yolked or 2 eggs in one day. So keep the treats down to bare minimum.

You can get this stuff on Amazon or at some pet supply places. I got my last batch from Pet Co, however at the moment they are out of stock.

 

[Soccerchicken]

Protein is not needed to help them (but it is helpful) we sprayed hair spray on ours and that left a bad taste, and Vetracin helps the feathers grow back.

If you want protein either wet or dry cat food, dog food, or ferret food will work. Bait worms and meal worms are more natural. (Most pet foods have chicken... Ugh.) But are given hormones to make them huge. (Is there anything natural left in this world..?)

 

[goose4]

Overcrowding can also cause feather picking. We were having a problem with this years chicks. I would split them up and move them into bigger areas. It would stop for awhile but when they started to outgrow the area it would start in again. The worst offenders were my buff orpingtons. We started calling them the vampire buffy's. Everyone is free ranging now and the problem has stopped.

 

[GranmaEm]

Protein is not needed to help them (but it is helpful) we sprayed hair spray on ours and that left a bad taste, and Vetracin helps the feathers grow back.

If you want protein either wet or dry cat food, dog food, or ferret food will work. Bait worms and meal worms are more natural. (Most pet foods have chicken... Ugh.) But are given hormones to make them huge. (Is there anything natural left in this world..?)

Good point about the mealworms. I'll check into that.

In better news, since I've increased the protein for the offender to basically as much as she wants and used the smelly spray, the pecking has stopped.

The only other factor that has changed is that the broody Buff is back in the flock - she has stepped up as leader once again.

Happy days!

 

[TERRY4]

Cheap tuna is libel to have mercury in higher levels than you want your chickens consuming.

Exactly! Canned tuna wouldn't be good for them, in the long run.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Just want to pipe this in even though you seem to have fixed the issue -
Dubia roaches! They can't climb plastic, don't bite, males can flutter but can't fly, aren't slimy or anything, and don't smell, taste great (for lizards and chickens anywho ) and are very high in protein with a soft shell. You can feed them leftover scraps, they breed at temperatures between 85-90, but die at temps lower then 70.
They're better then mealworms, and super cheap to feed as well (but you need crystals to water them with)