feather pecking

Mites, feather pecking or a molt? 5 out of 6 hens are losing feathes on their necks, heads, backends or stomachs. Their skin looks clean and mite-free under their feathers, they’re about a year old and we don’t have a rooster. All are laying semi-regularly, one lays soft eggs frequently. We...

I’m at a complete loss. (Back story- spring 21. my first flock came from TSC as chicks. I had 22 hens and 2 large pekin ducks in the same coop and same run prior to this flock and they living in harmony with no issues and we’re generally pretty friendly to humans. They were all killed by a mink...

Is someone picking at her pin feathers coming in? I spend a lot of time with them and haven’t noticed anyone pecking or picking at her.

I was feeding my chicks from hand with some regular starter feed. And this one looks like the tip of her wing feathers are bent and getting pecked off. Has anyone seen this before? Should I be worried or separate her from the rest? I have 15 total, They are only a week old. I do have a small...

Hi all, I have 12 hens in an enclosed coop/run (The Garden Loft). They are all 7.5 months old now, and are laying. I can’t really free range them (it’s predator city here), but I try to give them tons of enrichment - toys, dust baths, treats, supervised outside time, etc. Yesterday I noticed...

Help... golden wyandott’s bestie is chewing off her feathers, at least I think it’s her. ( She is a very nervous girl and I thought she would grow out of it.) All winter “plucky” has had only down on her body. i bought a saddle to protect her back, but havent used it as I am not home during...

hello - these are our first hens, so bare with me as we are learning as we go :) i have a small 6 month old flock,- 2 marans and 1 bantam ameraucana. our black maran has seen the most pecking by our white maran— on her chest, wing feathers and her once beautiful tail feathers are awry as well...

I have 5 pullets that are around 18-20 weeks old. 2 of the lower pecking order birds suddenly began fighting each other with one bird seemingly the cause (as this bird also began aggressively pecking other random birds in the field). It is sunset where i am at and i have put the troublesome...

Hi everyone! Well, my chicks have successfully made the transition from the brooder to the coop. I learn so much from this site, so thank you for that! You all have answered more questions than you realize just from my google searches! Does anybody happen to have a silkie EE cross they can...

Hi everyone, My chicken has developed a large bump on her wing. It started back in the winter when they were confined to the coop/run but since about March, they’ve been free range all day every day. My other chickens do tend to bully her a bit so I thought maybe it started when they were...

Hi all, We have a brown hybrid hen (about a year old) who's had a limp for several weeks and favours her right leg - it's been of varying severity in that time. We checked her over for bumblefoot and couldn't see any signs, couldn't feel anything particular in her leg and a vet also couldn't...

I have 3 hens (BO, RIR and SLW) about 10 months old. We started to see some feather missing from the SLW and later with the BO. The SLW has bare butt now. Although the RIR is lower in pecking order than the BO, she is the culprit here. I really need advice how to stop this behavior. We tried...

hello! my girls have been very sassy with each other lately and have been pecking at the smallest 2 out of 6 hens. does anyone have a successful recipe for anti-pecking spray or cream, or know of a brand that makes, it available in Ontario? the only one i seem to find is from the UK:rant help!!!!

I have 5 black australorp hens, 2 Isa Brown hens, 1 white leghorn hen, and 1 amberlinks hen in my flock. 4 of my black australorp hens are missing feathers on their necks and butt area. It's been several months and I can start to see new feathers coming in, but do you think this is feather...

Getting 1-4 eggs a day from 7 chickens for ~3 months now. They used to lay nicely (up to 7 eggs) until mid winter. They just slightly over 1 year old. Overbreeding was and may be still issue (but 1 rooster for 7 hens seems to be normal). Feather pecking was and still a bit of an issue. There...

I am wondering - is feathers loss due to feather pecking and over breeding has similar affect on egg laying as feather loss during molt? I have isolated the feather pecker chicken 2 weeks ago, as well as the rooster that had bloodied tail due to feather pecking. The isolated chicken have been...

I have 8 chickens that are 9 months old now. I have had issues in the past with feather pecking and bullying of one of my Easter eggers when some of the other chickens first started laying. I was able to put peepers on the two culprits for about 6 weeks. That was several months ago. Now I have...

Last week I noticed my 2 top hens were beginning to peck on the other girls. I did not think anything of it because they are at the top of the pecking order. Three days ago I noticed the same 2 pecking another hen more aggressively. Two days ago I changed their mulch in the run. On that day I...

i have a RIR that has been pecked so much by my silver laced Wyandotte that her bottom is bare. My one other hen, a welsummer, started pecking her, too. She’s still acting normal and laying daily. Outside of applying blu kote, making sure they get extra protein, providing boredom busters, and...