Red Sex Link

[IHC986]

One of my Red Sex Links has very few neck feathers and many of her butt feathers are missing. Her name is Houdini. Don't know if she is molting, or, if other birds are pecking at her. (Last evening, I checked the coop with a flashlight. I found Houdini cuddled on the floor, not on one of the roosts). I put some Vick's Vapo-Rub on Houdini and went inside for the night. Today, when I spread some scratch, I noticed that Houdini would come to the scratch, but, she would run away when other girls came close to her. Please, make suggestions !!!!!!

 

[QueenMisha]

How old is she? Is she growing any pin feathers? Molting is a possibility but with her behavior I'd say featherpicking is much more likely.

You need to purchase an anti-pick solution such as Pick-No-More and apply it liberally to the picked upon areas. If you notice any hens in particular are picking at her or displaying aggressive behavior, you should separate them out of view of the flock and each other for a week or two and then do a hard reintroduction one at a time.

 

[IHC986]

QueenMisha: First and foremost, thank you for your response! Houdini is a year and a half old. And, yes, she is growing pin feathers. After reading your post, I bought Pick-No-More on the internet. I have applied Blu-Kote, Vick's Vapo-Rub, and now, Pick-No-More to Houdini's trouble spots frequently and liberally. Houdini's feathers are making a come-back. I shall attempt to identify the culprit(s) that are assaulting her and will isolate it/them as you suggested. However, I do NOT know what a "hard re-entry" is. Please explain. (Understand that I am new to chickens, and, have been HEAVILY relying on Back Yard Chickens website to "keep me between the lines" so to speak). Had I known how much fun and entertainment chickens provide, I would have had flock after flock my entire life.

 

[QueenMisha]

QueenMisha:  First and foremost, thank you for your response!  Houdini is a year and a half old.  And, yes, she is growing pin feathers.  After reading your post, I bought Pick-No-More on the internet.  I have applied Blu-Kote, Vick's Vapo-Rub, and now, Pick-No-More to Houdini's trouble spots frequently and liberally. Houdini's feathers are making a come-back.   I shall attempt to identify the culprit(s) that are assaulting her and will isolate it/them as you suggested.  However, I do NOT know what a "hard re-entry" is.  Please explain.  (Understand that I am new to chickens, and, have been HEAVILY relying on Back Yard Chickens website to "keep me between the lines" so to speak).  Had I known how much fun and entertainment chickens provide, I would have had flock after flock my entire life.

Apologies for the VERY late response. This somehow got buried in my subscriptions.

A hard reintroduction is adding a bird to a flock without any kind of temporary separation. When you add a new bird or reintroduce a bird who was injured/low in the pecking order, it should be done slowly; the bird should be first put in an adjacent and visible but physically separate area, then, after a period of a few weeks, put in with the flock during the night time. Otherwise the bird is likely to get bullied pretty badly. However, if a bird is being a bully and needs to be dropped down the pecking order, you remove her for a few weeks - causing the other birds to essentially forget her - and then throw her back in midday with no warning or separation. She will get bullied and pecked-on some, but that's the point, and as long as the tables don't turn completely and she isn't being seriously injured or wounded, that's exactly as it should be.