Oxfordshire chickens
In the Brooder
- May 20, 2021
- 2
- 3
- 19
12 months ago we bought chickens for the first time: five hens, no rooster. For the first five months they were out in the garden in a very spacious enclosure, then in winter we moved them into part of our vegetable garden to protect our lawn. After a few months here we noticed they were pecking each other: it didn’t seem to bother the ones being pecked, but it was pretty persistent. As such, they lost all of the feathers around their vents, and one or two lost them around their necks and legs. All of the chickens were affected to the same degree.
Now that summer has arrived we’ve moved them back into the garden. We’ve never seen a single mite or louse on them, have treated their coop multiple times with powder, and treated them. Though we haven’t seen them pecking each other since we moved them back to the garden (about 2 months ago now) their feathers just won’t grow back. They seem healthy in every other regard, still laying an egg every day. I’ve added protein to their layers’ pellets as one thread on this website said that feather growing needs lots of protein, but nothing seems to be making any difference.
We’ve run out of ideas as to what might be causing this, and would be grateful for anyone’s experienced thoughts. Thank you!
Now that summer has arrived we’ve moved them back into the garden. We’ve never seen a single mite or louse on them, have treated their coop multiple times with powder, and treated them. Though we haven’t seen them pecking each other since we moved them back to the garden (about 2 months ago now) their feathers just won’t grow back. They seem healthy in every other regard, still laying an egg every day. I’ve added protein to their layers’ pellets as one thread on this website said that feather growing needs lots of protein, but nothing seems to be making any difference.
We’ve run out of ideas as to what might be causing this, and would be grateful for anyone’s experienced thoughts. Thank you!