We got our girls secondhand.....

[LeiaLayers5]

We got our girls second hand and they had some bare spots on their neck where feathers had come out and are now slowly growing back in. At first we noticed what looked like needles coming through their skin and then as it progressed it looked like they were dark in color and my husband said something about "blood feathers." I do not have a current picture of his neck and I will try to add that later but what is usual for hens growing back feathers to expect and see along the way?


This is when we first got her.....before the "blood feathers"

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Your husband is right - they will look like pin cushions with their blood feathers before they feathers emerge from the "pins". Try to handle them as little as possible - they are very uncomfortable right now! Nothing to worry about, it's just the normal feather growing process.

 

[LeiaLayers5]

Your husband is right - they will look like pin cushions with their blood feathers before they feathers emerge from the "pins". Try to handle them as little as possible - they are very uncomfortable right now! Nothing to worry about, it's just the normal feather growing process.

The feather growing process hurts them? We only hold them sparingly so far because we do not want to overwhelm them but we try to every so often so they get used to us. I appreciate the help.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Not the feather growing process itself, but if you were to break a blood feather THAT would hurt. Holding them will help them be tame, but I would hold off until they get most of their feathers back. Just being around them will help tame them too.

 

[LeiaLayers5]

Not the feather growing process itself, but if you were to break a blood feather THAT would hurt. Holding them will help them be tame, but I would hold off until they get most of their feathers back. Just being around them will help tame them too.

Yeah we avoid contact with those areas of the blood feathers. I do not want to handle them too often because i like giving them their freedom and letting them roam about. We have had incidents recently where our girls are wandering way further than usual and have even ventured into neighbors yard and their garden. Luckily, the neighbors are very friendly and have chickens and ducks of their own so they do not mind, but is there a way we can keep ours from roaming too far from coop? Or at least in our own yard?

 

[Chicks Galore3]

The only way to stop them is putting up a fence. Do you know what is attracting them to the neighbors yard? If they like the bird feeders or a particular bush for example, you can try coaxing them to stay in your yard by adding interest.

 

[LeiaLayers5]

The only way to stop them is putting up a fence. Do you know what is attracting them to the neighbors yard? If they like the bird feeders or a particular bush for example, you can try coaxing them to stay in your yard by adding interest.

Yeah I was trying to figure out I guess what might be best to distract them enough to keep them in our yard. Luckily, its just one of our girls who goes there so far, the others go together in the opposite direction but stay in our yard. I can only guess its their garden? Any suggestions on things to add to keep her nearby?