Tail feather pecking problem

[CluckinClegg]

Hi there! I’m new around here, and new to chickens as well. We just moved to a new house and aquired chickens recently. The chickens have been ours for 11 days. I got my 4 chickens (1 BO, 1BR abd 2RIRs) and their coop and supplies from a lady I met recently and although I think she is very nice person, I think the chickens were not well cared for. (For a few reasons) Two had sparse tail feathers. One more than the other. I think the chickens were kept in their very small coop too much. The coop is about 3’ by 8’. I plan on making a bigger coop eventually, as soon as I can. I also noticed the coop has no roost and the chickens poop in their nesting boxes.

Now the chickens have a 12’ by 12’ run, and some piles of wood shavings and dried grass clipping to scratch through. Plenty of food and water. Treats and table scraps and weeds here and there. But the one poor RIR that gets her tail pecked the worst is still getting it! I tried Blue-Kote and that actually made it worse! I’m planning on putting her in isolation, but about how long should that be done? A few days? A week?

ETA: is there something mentally wrong with these chickens now, or can I sort them out without being a chicken babysitter?

 

[sylviethecochin]

It may fix itself, with proper care. Many farm stores do sell no-peck spray or ointment. You coat the feathers in key areas, and when they grab feathers, they get a mouthful of nasty. You can probably get some off Amazon.

 

[50-45-1]

I have never been a fan of bluecote.
This is a photo of what i would rec

omend. This stuff stays where you put it and one taste of it usually discourages the second. Its called Pick No More, Your farm supply may carry it but i get it off amazon.
I keep this amongst other things in my chicken first aid kit.
Does your coop have roosts?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Put them on flock raiser (with oyster shell on the side free choice) so they will have more protein... if they currently get layer.

Pinless peepers might be an option if you have a bully... I would isolate them, before the victim. If you do isolate the victim it should be in site of the flock or she will get the snot beat out of her when she gets put back in.

Her new feathers might not grow back until she molts. You might even have parasites causing feather loss as well... are you able to post pics?

Adding visual barriers can help. As well as the other enrichment (scratching opportunities) that you have already added. Some people hang their treats just out of reach so the bird use both physical and mental energy jumping to get it...

Minimize low nutrient snacks like scratch and go for high protein things like meal worms or scrambled eggs on occasion. Nothing excessive, they are high in fat as well but loaded with other nutrients.

Good luck!

And welcome to BYC!

 

[aart]

How old are these birds?

Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Oh, and, Welcome to BYC!
Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[CluckinClegg]

I have never been a fan of bluecote.
This is a photo of what i would recView attachment 1526898 omend. This stuff stays where you put it and one taste of it usually discourages the second. Its called Pick No More, Your farm supply may carry it but i get it off amazon.
I keep this amongst other things in my chicken first aid kit.
Does your coop have roosts?

Hi, thanks for the replies! I will try that.
No, no roosts. I plan to instal some soon. There are places in the coop that are intended to have roosts, but for some reason they are not there.

 

[CluckinClegg]

How old are these birds?

Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Oh, and, Welcome to BYC!
Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!
View attachment 1527459

Hi! Thank you for the good advice! I hadn’t even though to check for mites. If I could just get the silly chicken to not run away so much, it would be easier to check! I’ll have to do it when my kids are home from school to help. Should I wear gloves while checking? Or applying treatment?

I am located on the central coast of CA. 10 minutes from the sea.

 

[CluckinClegg]

Put them on flock raiser (with oyster shell on the side free choice) so they will have more protein... if they currently get layer.

Pinless peepers might be an option if you have a bully... I would isolate them, before the victim. If you do isolate the victim it should be in site of the flock or she will get the snot beat out of her when she gets put back in.

Her new feathers might not grow back until she molts. You might even have parasites causing feather loss as well... are you able to post pics?

Adding visual barriers can help. As well as the other enrichment (scratching opportunities) that you have already added. Some people hang their treats just out of reach so the bird use both physical and mental energy jumping to get it...

Minimize low nutrient snacks like scratch and go for high protein things like meal worms or scrambled eggs on occasion. Nothing excessive, they are high in fat as well but loaded with other nutrients.

Good luck!

And welcome to BYC!

 

[CluckinClegg]

Hello! Per your recommendation, I gave some chopped up hard-cooked egg, and I do think it helped some! My silly chicken is still loosing feathers though. I’m going to check for parasites, and I have a chicken saddle I just ordered that I hope I can get her to wear!

 

[CluckinClegg]

Oh, and I don’t know how old the chickens are. I need to ask the previous owner a lot of questions.