What are the main causes for feather picking/eating?

[aart]

Also looks like most of the chicks are cockerels, I think that contributed to the problem.

You can tell already... at 3 weeks?
If so, might have contributed.

I did end up culling one chick because of feather picking.

Was it an aggressor or grievously wounded?

I definitely learned my lesson about keeping to many chicks together.

Do you mean in too small a brooder?

 

[WillowMoonWyandottes]

You can tell already... at 3 weeks?
If so, might have contributed.


Was it an aggressor or grievously wounded?


Do you mean in too small a brooder?

Yes, it is becoming obvious that most of them are cockerels.

I culled an aggressor, I saw him plucking out feathers of the others.

Yes they were outgrowing the brooder I had them in, I waited to long to move them into a larger area I’m guessing.

 

[WillowMoonWyandottes]

Most of the chicks look like the first 2 pictures, which is what I think are cockerels.
The last 2 pictures are what I think are pullets but of course I may be wrong.

 

[CNJ]

My chicks are feather plucking, they are going on 3 weeks old. When ever I hear one of them yell, I see another one eating a feather. It appears to be one main culprit. I took him out and put him with some older chicks and they started eating his feathers.

The older white Plymouth rock chicks use to pluck and eat my same age Cornish cross chicks, that's why they have their own pen, but I notice they don't do that to each other. However, they started doing that with the younger chick.

Its a good thing, I identified the instigator. I put him back with the others since the older chicks was pecking on him. The first thing he did when he rejoined his siblings, he plucked their feathers.

I was thinking maybe they need more room to play, so I opened the small pen door, so they can go out to play and eat grass. The culprit may end up sleeping out side, by himself if he keeps this up. I changed their feed to a higher protein, my chick starter feed was 18%, I changed it to a 22% broiler starter.

I have been watching them and I don't hear them yelling anymore and its only been about 15 minutes. I see them running in and out of the coop, they seem to be having fun. I think, giving them the freedom of space maybe the solution.

 

[CNJ]

I took out three that had their tail skin eaten red. I put iodine on their wounded area. I hope they stop doing that, since 3 were taken out of their space.

 

[CNJ]

I came back 10 chicks were wounded and bleeding... I’m at a loss as to what to do, I’m going to separate them into 2 groups but I honestly don’t think it’s going to help.

I have the same problem, I was looking through past threads about feather eating and searched on YouTube, I watched a foreign game fowl video that held up a bottle of Vicks vapor rub to prevent feather eating. I couldn't understand everything he was saying, but he said his friend in the USA told him to use Vicks. Also, someone mentioned it in a Backyard Chicken thread.
I'm going to try the Vicks Vapor Rub, I have to stop them before they become cannibals.