Olive egger comb

[L8eybugzz]

Thoughts on those chicken glasses for the chicken picking on her. Im not sure how i feel on those.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We are feeding them grower feed.

so, she is missing quite a few tail feathers.
We have checked hee for mites and fleas, put DE all over her, given them things to scratch at, hung treats to keep them busy.
I believe our top chicken may be pulling at her feathers. I have seen her do it quickly a few times and she moves out of the way. I have not seen her physically pull them out but believe this is what may be happening.
Suggestions on what to do. I really do not want her getting sick. The weather is getting cooler and i am afraid she will get cold too.
I have read to separate the bully. How would i go about doing that without causing huge stress for all of them.
Thoughts? Ideas?

Can you look at the analysis on your feed and tell us what protein % it contains or post a photo of your bag?

I forgot to ask, how much space you have in your coop/run (sq ft of each).

It could be your top pullet pulling the feathers, but I would also observe the others as well. IME, a top bird does not usually do that much picking, it's the lower ranking birds. Anyway...feather picking can become a bad habit, it can be from boredom, not enough protein, space issues and sometimes you just get a bird that is plain mean.

You can try separating the offender, some people have had success with that. The idea would be to separate her away from the flock for 3-5days - keeping her where she cannot see them - then she would be re-introduced to the flock. This may put a stop to it, but if she is strong willed she may go back to her picking.

As for pinless peepers - I have not used them, but from what I hear they do work. @Jenny Loves Chickies actually posted about those yesterday on this thread she may be able to give you some information about her experience with them https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...nt-for-pecked-chickens.1271531/#post-20438313

 

[L8eybugzz]

Thanks for the reply.
Our coop is 16sq ft plus 2 nesting boxes. Our run is 54 sq ft plus under the coop. We wanted to make sure it was large enough for all 4 of them when we built it.
I am adding a picture on the label on the bag of the feed we are using.
My fear is mayne she is sick but im not sure hot to tell to be honest.
Thanks for all your help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for the reply.
Our coop is 16sq ft plus 2 nesting boxes. Our run is 54 sq ft plus under the coop. We wanted to make sure it was large enough for all 4 of them when we built it.
I am adding a picture on the label on the bag of the feed we are using.
My fear is mayne she is sick but im not sure hot to tell to be honest.
Thanks for all your help!

Your feed seems to have adequate protein if they are not getting to many treats. Anything "extra" dilute the protein content of the feed. Some birds do better with a higher protein feed. Do you notice if the offender is eating the feathers that are being plucked? You can try adding protein to their diet (eggs, tuna, meat) or using a higher protein feed that is 18-20% to see if that makes a difference. I do like to give mine treats, so I use Flock Raiser 20% with oyster shell provided free choice for extra calcium.

We all have different set-ups when it comes to housing - you have 4sq ft per bird in your coop - some birds, depending on their personality need more room, some manage just fine with less. Evaluating space is something to think about as well, adding another roosting bar or reconfigure the roosts may change it up enough if the feather pulling is happening at night.
A perch in the corner of the run if you have room can also be a place for a picked on bird to get away from others. Some birds are very strong willed and just simply need more space - do you have a way to expand your run? Winter is coming and even though you have 10sq ft of run space per bird, they may be getting on each other's nerves. I am not in Canada, but suspect you are much colder than me Mine do spend quite a bit of time in the coop on cold windy days, but with wind blocks, they get outside - this keeps the squabbling down - I have more room and birds than you, but winter can be stressful when it's cold and dreary.

If you feel that she is sick, then cage her within the run so you can monitor her to see if she is eating/drinking well. Getting a fecal float to check for worms is always a good idea too. Since she is low in pecking order, if you remove her, she will likely have a hard time with re-integration if you take her out completely.

 

[rebrascora]

I agree that it is most likely feather pecking and if you have noticed it happening when you are there, it will be going on when you are not there, which is probably a much bigger percentage of the time. Wyorp Rock has given you good advice. Perches or roost bars in the run will help her get up and out of the way of the bullying. If she is bottom of the pecking order it is not surprising that she is smaller and slower to develop. You could make her a small pen next to the main run for during the day and give her extra nutritious treats like a scrambled egg or a bit of tuna or meat (a little raw liver cut into small slivers is good to build them up) maybe a little cottage cheese or cat food. It may boost her self esteem getting special treatment and give her extra confidence with the others which should stop the bullying. Let her out to range with them in the garden when you are there to supervise and they all have plenty of space and whenever possible supervise them at roost time to see what is going on and how they interact as this may help you to make minor alterations in her favour. Some people hang a curtain across the roost bar so that it creates a safe section for a bullied chicken to roost.

Don't worry about her getting cold with those few feathers missing. Most adult chickens moult at this time of year but some leave it until the depths of winter to shed their feathers and can have significant bald patches and still be fine in sub zero temps. Chickens are much hardier than people think.

 

[L8eybugzz]

That is helpful.
They do not get too many treats. They do have free range of the fenced in yard when we are home and around to keep an eye on them. They ha e oyster shells as free choice as well as grit and their feed. They have 3 feed stations and 2 water ( 5 nipples total)
My concern was if she was eating and drinking and she appears to be.
The one pecking at her is currently the only one laying yet and it all seemed to start around the time she began to lay. Could this have anything to do with it? She is by far the smallest of them all now.
We are in the process of considering moving so we will have much more land and not in an area where bylaw says they have to stay in their run all the time.
I will try and give them more items with protein.

 

[L8eybugzz]

I also have not noticed any feather eating. The run is just full of her feathers.
Our top chicken actually roosts on the outside of the roost on the far right. (There is a plexi glass window there) then the 2nd up chicken beside her. Then the 3rd and finally her at the far left. There is a good 1.5-2 feet of roost left once they cram into the window. This is how they have always been.

 

[L8eybugzz]

Our setup. We have added 2 roosts in the run since this pic.

 

[rebrascora]

The one pecking at her is currently the only one laying yet and it all seemed to start around the time she began to lay. Could this have anything to do with it?

Yes, this has a lot to do with it. They are adolescent teenage girls and those hormones can cause them to become bossy or shrinking violets. Some pullets at point of lay will even become aggressive towards their owner. Hopefully it should settle down once they get over this initial surge.

 

[rebrascora]

Your set up is lovely. I'm not sure where you have put the extra roost bars in the run but making them higher would help. If she perches on those low bars I can see the bully can still go at her. My chickens will happily roost 6ft off the ground, so I would make some higher roosts in the run..... at least 3ft off the ground.