Pecking?

[hoekedonhomesteads]

My Buff Orpington's have feather loss around their necks. My husband caught them pecking. We haven't seen this behavior until now. They've been laying for over a month and are about 6 months old. They have high quality layer feed, scratch and oyster shells. Any thoughts?

 

[Ridgeback825]

Could they be rubbing their necks on the rim of something while eating or drinking or when sticking thier head throughsome fencing? Mites? Molting?

 

[nuthatched]

She looks like she's being picked.
What brand and type of feed? 2x checking for mites.

 

[hoekedonhomesteads]

I wondered about molting. We've checked for mites and aren't seeing anything, but I realize that might not be conclusive.

 

[hoekedonhomesteads]

We're using an Amish layer feed. They also have oyster shells available at all times and get scratch and treats regularly.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

How much protein is in the feed? 16% is about the minimum hens can be healthy with and if they get a lot of scratch grains and treats that usually decreases how much protein they're getting which can lead to feather pecking. Treats should be no more than 10% of diet and a lot of people generally prefer a slightly higher protein feed of 18 or 20% to keep birds healthy and laying large eggs.

When checking for mites it's important to check the roost bars at night since most don't live on the birds.

 

[hoekedonhomesteads]

I'm checking the feed--I'm afraid it might be 16%. We give scratch once a week and scrambled eggs about once a week, too.

I'll check the roosting bars tonight! Thanks for that info! Still new to chickens and always learning!

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

We give scratch once a week and scrambled eggs about once a week, too.

That shouldn't be too much unless you're giving them a whole lot of scratch once a week. I usually throw a handful of scratch to my handful of hens once a day to give them some excitement (the downside of this is that they've become horrible beggars and expect treats whenever they see me and will follow me around squawking until they get their due...)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She looks like she's being picked.
What brand and type of feed? 2x checking for mites.

I agree, looks like she's being plucked.
Observe during roosting, often the neighboring hens can pluck at their roost mates.
It's not that uncommon.

You can apply a bit of NuStock cream to the bare area to see if that helps deter the picking.