Worried about excessive plucking

csteeps

In the Brooder
Oct 7, 2020
9
18
26
North Lincolnshire, UK
I'm in the UK and have a small flock of 10 ladies. We bought them as 'point of lay' in September with our first eggs from November. We currently get a full house of 10 eggs most days so I know they're healthy enough but we can't get a handle on why they are constantly plucking each other.
No hen is untouched but some are worse affected than others. We have a run which is now twice the required size after we increased it after they had started picking on one bird (a bluebell) before Christmas, where it was pecked and plucked until dripping blood. We isolated her alone until she'd scabbed over, then with her matching pair for a couple of weeks (we have 5 different pairs of breeds) and then reintroduced once healed and regrowing well. All seemed ok for a while but now we can't seem to work out the best way to deal with the whole flock doing it...
They have a large run which we can separate into 2 bits when needed, 2 feeders in different locations constantly with layers pellets available, they get plenty of mealworm treats to up their protein intake, we hang apples and broccoli for them to peck at, they have corn to scratch twice a day thrown in hay to make it last longer, they have perches, roosts, pecking block bucket, and a variety of different locations where they can go to escape the others but they just let each other pluck them and continue to hang out as a crowd...
We've just isolated our 2 Colombian blacktails as one has a large gash to go with the plucking now...
Although we have 5 different breeds they are all a similar shape and feather coverage when looking their best so nothing that's unusual which the others might be inquisitive about. Our other girls are speckledys, Sussex stars and copperblacks...
Can anyone make any suggestions.
I'll attach some pics of their run and the most recent injury.
 

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Is there higher protein feed available? You added mealworms, but then dilute it with corn and apples and broccoli, which just lowers the protein.

One side of the run has a nice roofed shelter area to break up the space, but the other side looks pretty barren and could use some more clutter to help provide more hiding spots: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-cluttered-run.1323792/

Might have to resort to pinless peepers if neither of the above makes a difference.
 
Stop feeding daily treats.
Stop ALL the treats and feed only the layer feed. They are not getting a balanced diet with all the treats.
 
Thanks for your replies.
We thought stringing apples and broccoli gave them entertainment and scratching the corn relieved boredom but I can see how it will dilute the layer pellets even if we're feeding extra mealworms and scrambled eggs to up their protein... They'll be quite upset if I go in their shed to egg collect from them and they don't get something in return though.. I'll just have to pretend I can't see their bucket of worms or excited clammering....
I guess junk in the extended run is our next option, although they seem to hang as a bunch anyway despite the different areas they already have.. If one walks somewhere else they all go with her for fear of missing out...
 
They'll get over it. ;)
I know its my issue not theirs lol...
I just feel mean. But I've kept it in check and not given them anything extra today, except a few worms to fool the 2 isolated girls into the shed so I can lift them back into their mini coop while the others spread out in the full run again. They're the speediest runners lol...
 
To give the chickens something to do, maybe you can provide more stuff to scratch around in their run.

You could turn part of the dirt over with a shovel to loosen it, or add a pile of compost, or start dumping bedding there, or add a bale of straw for them to pull apart, or some clumps of sod, or something of the sort.

They can spend hours scratching, and they pick up little bits of stuff to eat (which is why they keep scratching), but most of my suggestions won't provide enough "food" to really mess up their diet.

What is the protein content of the layer pellets you are feeding? If you think they need more protein, chick starter can be an excellent choice. It usually has more protein than layer pellets, and all the ingredients are balanced in a way that is safe for chickens of all ages. (But laying hens do need a separate dish of oyster shell for calcium, if they eat much chick starter.)
 
To give the chickens something to do, maybe you can provide more stuff to scratch around in their run.

You could turn part of the dirt over with a shovel to loosen it, or add a pile of compost, or start dumping bedding there, or add a bale of straw for them to pull apart, or some clumps of sod, or something of the sort.

They can spend hours scratching, and they pick up little bits of stuff to eat (which is why they keep scratching), but most of my suggestions won't provide enough "food" to really mess up their diet.

What is the protein content of the layer pellets you are feeding? If you think they need more protein, chick starter can be an excellent choice. It usually has more protein than layer pellets, and all the ingredients are balanced in a way that is safe for chickens of all ages. (But laying hens do need a separate dish of oyster shell for calcium, if they eat much chick starter.)
Thanks for your suggestions.
They have hay in the original enclosure spread round and under the roofed area. That's where I was throwing the corn to encourage them to scratch longer. The area to the left of the greenhouse is soft earth to the point that they've tunnelled completely under the tree in there and we've turned the earth over under the new perching poles too.
They have access to the nearby compost heap when they're let out onto our veg plot area when we're in the garden with them and love rooting through the bark chippings on the paths in that area too, but that access will be cut off in a few weeks when we start planting them or we'll have no veggies/young plants left lol...
I'm not sure what % protein the layer pellets are as I've thrown the sacks away after emptying them into storage bins. They have separate grit and I feed them back their own dried/baked shells when we can too so it might be worth a look at the chick starter as a cheaper way to increase the protein.
Thanks again, we want them to live the best lives we can enable them to and happy to accept all the help we can get to ensure that!
 
So, a month on and I've restricted their diet to layers pellets, mealworms and occasional scrambled eggs only... We changed to a better quality non-gm feed too which is 18% protein but our ladies are looking more naked than ever...
I've resorted to buying some pinless peepers to try as they're all looking worse for wear. Fingers crossed these break the habit because (as my husband keeps saying and is now contemplating 🥺😥) they are making themselves look more oven ready by the day!!
They seem happy enough though and allowing each other to pluck them without complaint. All bar a now broody hen I'm trying to break, are laying daily still...
I view my girls as pets and have no wish to ever eat them 😪
 

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