I have a question I have a barred rock hen that we have had for about 3 months,don't know an age but guess around 1 or 2 years old still laying eggs, but before we got her she had no feathers on her back like a roo had been doing her alot. So we thought that they would grow back but she won't let them grow back! Everytime the feathers try to come in she pulls them out. Any ideas on keeping her from picking them out? Do they make cones for chickens like they do dogs and cats so she can't get to her back? Thanks, Ladywolfe
This may sound odd...but chicken saddles work really well. Others here at BYC have posted pix and instructions for them. I heard about making them out of an expensive kind of tape. I was unable to locate the specific tape, so we tried using Gorilla Tape and it worked well. The tape adheres just long enough for them to regrow. Good luck.
sometimes this could be stress or parasites. have you checked her for mites?are your birds crowded? sometimes you can give them things to busy their minds to keep them from plucking themselves.like hanging treats so they have to work a little to get at them.but if they are crowded lessening the amount of overcrowding helps.
You can also make a saddle out of denim with elastic straps to go under the wings. A few people make and sell them, too. They've really helped a couple of my hens that the roos were vigorous with.
That is a GREAT idea about the tape! I have a hen who has a perpetual sore spot on the top of her shoulder where her wing is connected. It originated from a rooster, but we butchered him long ago, and the feathers are not growing back. In fact, some days the bare spot looks sore or bloody! I thought maybe the other hens were picking at it, but maybe she is doing it herself? I do have a chicken saddle, but it will not cover the wing, so I am going to try the tape I also have a chicken who is bald from being pecked at. When I got her she was partially bald, but my hens made her totally bald really quickly and I don't think her feathers will ever grow back in I can't think of a way to cover her head!