Pecking and feather loss, pests?

[Coldd]

Greetings,

It looks like we have a problem with a pecking hen. At first I thought it was one of the jersey giants (we had one who was larger than the rest and would bonk some of the others in the head every now and then) but it appears to be one of the larger barred rocks.

I observed her taking shots on other hens at the base of their tails, on their backs. Many of the hens look rough. She does a little too, but not as bad as the others. What made me worry was our Jersey Giants. Three of them now have bare bottoms. We picked one up and checked for lice/mites and haven’t been able to find any.

They have a dust bath with DE. I don’t scoop the poop out of the coop but I do mix the bedding dailyt, which quickly dries out their droppings. I was hoping to compost the bedding and poop together at coop clean out time.

We have 8 birds, the coop is roughly 64 sq ft, the run is close to 150-160sq ft. They are not able to free range as we do not have a good area for that. Barred rocks all have feathered bottoms. The feathers look pulled out (some feather ‘roots’ still remain. I think we stress them out (they are all swarming the fence when we walk up, thinking we have garden weeds maybe or scratch?) when we visit.

What are your thoughts? Will rehome that bird to a place with a rooster maybe if things get worse. Any help is appreciated. See photo for feather damage example.

Thanks

 

[rosemarythyme]

What all do you feed them (specifically protein %, any treats, etc.)?

Do you have more photos of your set up? What I'm specifically looking for is clutter to occupy them and keep them busy.

 

[nuthatched]

Remove all the de, it doesn't do a single thing for pests and will harm your birds and your respiratory system. It's pretty much 'natural' asbestos. Wear a mask, please. :]

 

[Coldd]

Thanks for the reply. I am feeding them 16% layer feed.

https://www.murdochs.com/products/l...esmart-organic-layer-poultry-feed-16-crumble/

For treats, we were doing garden weeds (mostly dandelion, purslane, and lambs quarters), but now scratch. There’s a little more than 1ft of roost space per bird, however they prefer to sleep in a group in one of the corners than on the roosts.

To be honest there’s not a ton for them to entertain themselves with. Any suggestions as to what to add? I’d love to let them have full run of the yard but our dog has a high prey drive and would likely kill them. More photos tomorrow

 

[Kidwantschickens]

Us that coop and run space or just coop space? You said the can't free range but what's their total area?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks for the reply. I am feeding them 16% layer feed.

https://www.murdochs.com/products/l...esmart-organic-layer-poultry-feed-16-crumble/

For treats, we were doing garden weeds (mostly dandelion, purslane, and lambs quarters), but now scratch. There’s a little more than 1ft of roost space per bird, however they prefer to sleep in a group in one of the corners than on the roosts.

Might want to try a higher protein feed, as one possible cause for feather picking is not enough protein in their diet (which scratch and treats can further dilute).

To be honest there’s not a ton for them to entertain themselves with. Any suggestions as to what to add? I’d love to let them have full run of the yard but our dog has a high prey drive and would likely kill them. More photos tomorrow

While we await photos, give this a read: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

 

[Coldd]

Us that coop and run space or just coop space? You said the can't free range but what's their total area?

The coop is 64 sq ft and the run outside of the coop is 150-160sq ft. So total is maybe ~210 or more sq ft.

 

[Kidwantschickens]

The coop is 64 sq ft and the run outside of the coop is 150-160sq ft. So total is maybe ~210 or more sq ft.

That should be plenty of space for 8. I'm sorry they peck each other. Hopefully others have a solution for you

 

[3KillerBs]

Here are some options for clutter and entertainment: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-“chickens-101”-articles-don’t-mention.76003/

Also, overturned plastic lawn chairs (nice for you too -- when you want a clean surface to sit on just flip it right way up).

A straw bale with one tie cut will keep them busy for a while demolishing it.

 

[Kidwantschickens]

Here are some options for clutter and entertainment: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/blocks-bricks-and-pavers-the-critical-chicken-keeping-equipment-the-“chickens-101”-articles-don’t-mention.76003/

Also, overturned plastic lawn chairs (nice for you too -- when you want a clean surface to sit on just flip it right way up).

A straw bale with one tie cut will keep them busy for a while demolishing it.

Can they play with a hay bale instead of a straw bale or does it need to be straw?