Pulling Feathers

[Happy Alun]

Hello everyone!

Well I have discovered some blood on the side of their pellet feeder today which caused me great distress, I have four girls all differnet breeds which have spent the last seven months happliy free ranging around the garden but due to the bad weather and the distruction of my garden I have enforced that they stay in their covered run which is around 25ft long by 7ft wide which in my opinon is a huge space for four chickens but due to me treating them to my huge garden all year they could be distressed by this?

The top bird (Doris) has been seen pulling feathers today from the other three so I can only assume its her who is bullying the rest, I did check all four over but found no sign of bleeding on the birds.

I have segregated Doris into the main garden for now to teach her a lesson, don't think she likes the snow!

So the other three will get on fine without her so I have a dilleama? do I dispatch Doris to keep the others happy or is there any other way to stop a chicken from bullying?

I am not giving in and letting them all back in the garden again as I want it to recover after the last seven months of damage.

Always happy for any advice!

Regards

Alun

[Willow]

Feather pulling or eating can be a sign of protein deficiency or boredom, not necessarily ‘bullying’..

If your run is big enough and has enough ‘nooks & crannies’ and objects for the chickens to hide behind , jump / climb on top of etc and to keep them interested you shouldn’t really have much of a problem.
Try raising the protein level.

Have you seen actual fighting taking place? Is one hen constantly chasing the others? This too is normal by the way, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. Hens pecking order changes and its natural hen behaviour to sort out who’s ‘top hen’..

I would definitely not separate the flock unless its absolutely necessary.. and ‘despatching’ a chicken because of some feather pulling??? Absolutely not.

[maz24]

I agree with you Willow.

I found blood on my feeder a couple of years back and couldnt find where it came from and came on here worried, and got the answer, Mice!! my lovely girls had caught a mouse. I thought not My Girls they wouldnt do a thing like that. Then a couple of days later I caught them with another mouse trying to stretch it between them and blood everywhere . Could be what your girlies where up to.

If they are eating the feathers they are pulling def need protein. lots of dried meal worms,un dyed maggots or even fishy cat food.
Manriax

[Willow]

Lol Maz24... I was quite surprised the first time I saw our chickens chase each other all over the garden for a mouse our cats had left.. and I know our chickens have managed to corner and kill a mouse , nature is cruel but our cute little chooks are raptors
Blood on a feeder can be from a damage beak or simply that a chicken has cut herself and flicked the blood - I've had blood on the walls of the coop before now and have never found the source.

[maz24]

Hi Tina, yes our little darlings can turn to monsters but as you say thats nature. And to be honest Id put up with a lot just to have my girls back. Ive been sitting here looking at my run that was . Its so good to be able to come on here and try and help other peps with their chooks. Did you have a lot of snow I know of someone in wales who have had a foot of snow and they are cut off at the moment.
Marianxx

[sandy]

I had a feather plucker who would pull gently but when the patch got balder would tug at her sisters feathers. All the protein and boredom busters in the world never stopped her. My top chick now has taken an interest in any girls that is moulting so I have to keep vigilant for any blood. It is really annoying but sometimes it just to be in their nature

[Happy Alun]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for all the advice, you will all be pleased to know that the bullying has stopped

Just needed to give the terrible Doris more protein (worms and meal worms) and they have calmed down now.

Cheers again

[aceface]

glad you managed to sort out this little blip

[pepi]

yes, glad it was a 'blip', but as Willow said, feather pulling is prob either protein deficiency or boredom. I think when we have our hens FR, then due to the destruction of the garden, decide that they have to be in the run, they must get very bored. Some branches that they can climb/perch on, hang some feeders up, a whole cabbage to peck at, scatter a handful of grain around the run to peck for, and various bits and bobs around the run to alleviate the boredom is a good idea.

The important thing if there is blood showing is to COVER it up! Either with sudocrem or gentian violet spray or whatever, once the others see the red, they will be attracted to it, and can escalate or become a habit very quickly! Glad the worms seem to have done the trick for you