Polish being picked on

[chump]

I have about 45 chickens. 5 are polish and 5 are mottled houdans.
My other chickens are always pulling crest feathers out of one polish hen I have.
They pull them out so much she bleeds almost canstantly.
We have thot about putting her out of pen but then roosters
Wod probly mate her to death. Does anybody know of anything to put on her
Head to discourage this? She's the only crested chicken we have this problem with

 

[Illia]

How old is she? If she's fully feathered, some things that can help are carefully tying up the crest with a hairtie or even clipping the crest as if it were hair.

 

[chump]

She's five months old. Just started laying. Will that keep others from pecking her?
Putting her feathers in ponytail? Willing to try anything.
Don't no y she's only one being pickd on. Can't figure it out.
Mayb cause she's the only white crested blue polish?
Others r golden laced and houdans. She's kind of the odd one out.

 

[Illia]

That is a likely cause. The fact that her crest is bright white may attract their attention.

The crest tying can work at this age. If you carefully take most of her crest and hold it up above her head, then take a hairtie over that and make sure it is tight, but not pulling her feathers/skin, it should do the trick. For a while she'll scratch at it and shake it, and she may even get it off which will require you to try it again, but once you've successfully got it on there, it will help things like crest picking, rain, mud, and even general vision.

 

[mccaff mama hen]

I've been having this same problem with my 2 roos. I've seem my BO girls do it when they are eating, but they haven't done it to my polish girls. One thing I've found that helps, I spray the back of their heads with Blue Kote. When it wears off they start getting pecked on again, then I know it's time to do it again. Since I'm not showing them I don't care about the color. If it continues after it gets to spring, I'll have to make other arrangements. I thought it might have been my big polish roo, but it's the girls doing it. They look curious when they lower their heads in from of them to eat. Good Luck! If you find something else that works please post it.

 

[chump]

@ut her hair up in ponytail and she pickd it out as soon as we left. We went back in for something a few seconds later and she already
had it off. Or one of other chickens did it.. Guess we'll just have to cut her crest off. Poor thing is scarred all over her head