Should I cull the culprit?

[Tala]

you said you saw her actually EAT the feather, which usually indicates a protein deficiency. Sounds like you know that but here's what I'd do:

If you're feeding 16% layer I would switch to something else. Either gamebird 22% or Purina Flock Raiser is 20% whatever your store carries in the 18-22% range. I would definitely try to feed something a little higher than their "bare necessity" of 16%


Also remember that adding treats like the hanging cabbage or a hanging suet blocks WILL help with boredom but they will "dilute" the overall protein intake, so if their feed is is more "potent" on that account it would help.

My chickens love the hanging suet blocks and they are cheap. They like the peanut one especially. I put two in the coop on opposite ends of the building whenever I added a group of newbies to give them some extra distractions. Also if you place it just slightly out of reach they will spend longer jumping up trying to snatch a bite.

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

Isolation worked for me. I took my picker inside for a week and a half and she was MISERABLE! But there were no issues upon reintroducing her (I snuck her back in the coop at night) and by the next day everything was peaceful again. I haven't had another incident since. If I were you I'd isolate her, expand your run and then reintroduce her.

 

[WitksChicks]

My 6 10 month old hens (2 RIR, 2 SLW and 2BSL) are experiencing the same thing. They have a 4 x 6 ' coop with plenty of roosting space. And a 8' x 16' run with space under the coop as well. We tried stopping the scratch they were given. They've always had a hanging head of cabbage to peck at, as well as veggie scraps every day or so. They get out into the backyard (outside the run) whenever athe weather permits (living in New England isn't an everyday event during the winter), and we are home to watch over them, as we have recently see 2 hawks in the skies nearby. We give them layer pellets, and make sure that that is their primary food, not the veggies. We've tried blu-koat, still the pecking each other persists. We just started giving them tunafish over the last couple of days. I've researched on BYC (under a different thread), that pin-less peepers are the way to go. I've ordered them, they should arrive in another day or so. Hopefully, these will solve our problem.

Here's the thread I found: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=296866&p=1

Check out "HighCountryChickens" post dated 2/16/2010 at 10:29 p.m. and go to the View My Page and read - if nothing else, "it hits the nail on the head" my husband and I laughed till we cried. Here is the link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=15065

Thank you HighCountryChickens, for providing an entertaining commentary to an issue many of us are pulling our hair out over.

 

[ElizabethinNY]

The peepers were a disaster for me. I tried them, but they made the ladies' noses bleed, and they were so discombobulated by the peepers that they couldn't recognize each other and got into all-out fights with comb pecking and screeching. I probably could have been more firm and left them on until they settled down, but I hated to see that, so I took them back off after a day.

 

[scooter147]

If this hen is aggressively go after other chickens with the purpose of pulling feathers and eating them, I'd cull her.
I have seen my hens eat small feathers that hit the ground and protien is not an issue in my flock they get regular laying pellets, a several handfulls of dry cat food in the morning and a several handfulls of black oil sunflower seeds in the evening.