mizz9
Chirping
Hello all,
So I noticed a little while ago my Barred Rock "Pepper", had a bald patch on her neck/chest. I think it was from her going at the feeder a little too hard. We adjusted the height of the feeder so she can reach it better without rubbing her neck on it.
Then I noticed the feathers never grew back. I thought for a while that maybe the feather loss was permanent, until recently I noticed our Rhode Island Red "Ginger" was picking at the area. She's not pecking it too aggressively, just enough to pluck out any beginnings of feathers that start to grow back! And the weird thing about it is Pepper just sits there and watches her do it. She doesn't even attempt to stop it. Fortunately I have never seen any blood... the patch just kind of stays bald because the feathers don't have a chance to grow back. Just a bit of redness sometimes.
Believe me, Pepper is the BOSS of our little flock of 3. She eats first and will peck the heads of anyone who gets in her way, which is why it's so strange she lets Ginger do this. Pepper has the biggest comb and even crows every once in a while to remind them she is the "roo" of the group.
About our flock:
So I noticed a little while ago my Barred Rock "Pepper", had a bald patch on her neck/chest. I think it was from her going at the feeder a little too hard. We adjusted the height of the feeder so she can reach it better without rubbing her neck on it.
Then I noticed the feathers never grew back. I thought for a while that maybe the feather loss was permanent, until recently I noticed our Rhode Island Red "Ginger" was picking at the area. She's not pecking it too aggressively, just enough to pluck out any beginnings of feathers that start to grow back! And the weird thing about it is Pepper just sits there and watches her do it. She doesn't even attempt to stop it. Fortunately I have never seen any blood... the patch just kind of stays bald because the feathers don't have a chance to grow back. Just a bit of redness sometimes.
Believe me, Pepper is the BOSS of our little flock of 3. She eats first and will peck the heads of anyone who gets in her way, which is why it's so strange she lets Ginger do this. Pepper has the biggest comb and even crows every once in a while to remind them she is the "roo" of the group.
About our flock:
- 3 Hens
- They always have layer feed, water, and oyster shell available
- Free range our suburban fenced in backyard, approx 6000sqft, with plenty of mulch, rocks, grass, dirt, AKA fun things for them to scratch and destroy all day long until they return to coop at night.
