The Ethel saga

[byezic]

Hi everyone, this is a long one so here we go. We got our first chickens in may 2021. We had 10, one unfortunately “moved out” last summer when she was hit by a car. So we then had 9, we have a salmon faverolle, Ethel, who is very spunky. Around November of 2021 Ethel began losing her beard feathers. I wasn’t super worried since I found info online about “mini moulting.” A month or 2 later I noticed her not only was her beard gone, she had lost feathers around to the back of her neck also. I did a lot of research and thought maybe their diet needed more fat/protein. We live in Michigan and since our winters are pretty brutal the girls stayed in their bedroom (coop) most of the time during the cold weather. No matter what I tried her feathers never grew back. In April of 2022 we got 4 ducklings. We raised them in the house until they became too disgusting and then moved them to the girls’ bedroom. We made a run for them so everyday they are let into the run and when my husband and I are home from work everyone can free range. Around the time the ducks moved outside, the girls became very stressed. I was prepared for this because I had read so much about it online. What I was not prepared for was Augustus, one of my cinnamon queens, having a vendetta out for Ethel. She ripped out all of Ethel’s head and neck feathers so she was bald and looked like a little turkey vulture. I was able to set up a dog kennel in the house and made a makeshift perch in it and Ethel began sleeping in the dog kennel in the house at night. She would free range during the day. In may I thought getting a rooster would help keep the girls in line and stop them from fighting. We found someone on Craigslist and went to get one. He ended up giving us 2 and assured us they would be fine together. He was right. He was right because they are silkies and are afraid of their own shadows. So we got 2 roosters and the girls just beat them up too. So we then had the boys sleeping inside at night too since they don’t perch and the ducks would beat them up, the boys were smaller at the time. Later that month we got 4 new baby chickens. At this point my husband had a breakdown and said no more chickens in the house. We turned a stall in our barn into a makeshift chicken brooder. So we had Ethel, the 2 roosters, and 4 babies sleeping in there together at night and they got to free range during the day. All was well and Ethel’s head feathers even started to grow back. But during this entire ordeal, if Augustus saw Ethel she would run up to her and attack her. The other girls would do this also. We finally were ready to move the babies and roosters into the coop with everyone else. We figured we could put Ethel back in there too. I want to emphasize that during this whole time Ethel and they other girls were still around each other. Ethel can fly up over the fence to the run and will go im and lay in the nesting box and then fly back out to the yard. They also would be together when everyone was free ranging. So it seemed like everything was going okay until a couple weeks ago all Ethel’s feathers are ripped out again. I again went to the internet and read about isolating the bully. So I caged Augustus in the coop for a few days, did not work. Ethel is starting to get sores on the back of her neck again and she is a nervous wreck. She’s in constant panic mode, she is terrified of everything and I don’t know what to do. My husband says to get rid of Augustus but 1. Augustus and Ethel are at the bottom of the pecking order and 2. the other girls also pick on Ethel but not like Augustus does so I feel like this wouldn’t solve anything. Plus I can’t bring myself to get rid of her, even though she’s a meany I love her. Ethel has clearly lost weight and her butt is constantly dirty and gross. When I pick her up I hear her butt make a squirt sound, which I think is vent gleet, according to my Google searches. Ethel’s beard feathers have never come back, and I don’t think bullying was the initial reason they came out. If you read this entire thing then thank you and im sorry if it’s confusing. Does anyone have any advice, ideas, suggestions?

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hi! Definitely a saga! I would crate Augustus for a month away from everyone if that is at all possible and then slowly reintroduce, look but no touch. Can you feed Ethel some raw yolk and nutri drench to get some nutrients into her? Nutri drench can only be given for about five days. You can put it into everyone's water. Have you wormed them recently? What are you feeding them?

Lastly, can you post some pictures of Ethel?

 

[Ankarankar]

O cannot believe all the things you arengoing through!!!! I am a new chicken owner and I am glad my 4 girls get along for the most part. I hope you get an good answer for your flock soon!!!

 

[bobbi-j]

So, poor Ethel is living as a terrorized, bullied bird. You don’t want to get rid of the bully. Maybe you could separate Ethel with a couple of the other hens if you can find some that won’t pick on her. Or, separate the bully for a week or two. I really don’t think a couple of days is long enough to reset her place in the flock. My solution would be to remove the bully from the flock permanently.

 

[NatJ]

This article might have some helpful ideas:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

(If they were my chickens, I would just butcher the victim, since it sounds like the rest get along well enough. But it sounds like you are hoping to find a solution that will let them all stay alive & healthy, and learn to get along.)

 

[byezic]

Hi! Definitely a saga! I would crate Augustus for a month away from everyone if that is at all possible and then slowly reintroduce, look but no touch. Can you feed Ethel some raw yolk and nutri drench to get some nutrients into her? Nutri drench can only be given for about five days. You can put it into everyone's water. Have you wormed them recently? What are you feeding them?

Lastly, can you post some pictures of Ethel?

Keep Augustus crated the entire time? No free ranging even if she’s alone?

I have not wormed them. They are fed Dumor egg layer and recently I have mixed egg layer with nutrena feather fixer.

The picture of Ethel perched on the steering wheel of the kubota is the most recent; the ones with the bald head are when she started getting beaten up. The one of her drinking is when just her beard feathers had been lost. The one of her standing outside the door is before the saga began.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Is her comb upright? Can you feed her some tuna then? Something tasty with high nutrition.

 

[byezic]

Is her comb upright? Can you feed her some tuna then? Something tasty with high nutrition.

I can def give her tuna. She does have an upright comb.

 

[KyCoop]

Somebody has to be rehomed. Either the bully or the victim. I rehomed my bully and sent a friend with her. Peace was restored.

 

[aart]

We live in Michigan and since our winters are pretty brutal the girls stayed in their bedroom (coop) most of the time during the cold weather

How big is the coop and run, in feet by feet?
Dimensions and pics would help here.
How many birds total....species and genders??

Some birds just don't fit in a flock.
This is where the subtraction part of chicken math come into play.

Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!