I’m looking for advice on what I can do for my >6 month old hen Brontë, who has returned to her former habit of plucking and eating the feathers of her five other flock mates.
If you can share any stories or advice you have on curing a chicken of feather eating, please leave a comment.
I’m interested to hear about methods of isolation, what you have fed the bird, ect.
Has anyone tried drastic measures such as pinless peepers?
Brontë is a pet and I’m desperate to make things right.
Here is the story behind it all;
She began this in the summer when she was a pullet. She would obsessively peck the soft bloomer feathers of her 5 other flock mates and eat their feathers.
I isolated her into a large metal dog cage during the day, outside in the run. At night she would sleep on the pole with the others and then back into the cage for the day.
While in the cage I fed her high protein crumbles, extra seeds, some sardines, some cat food.
After two weeks she rejoined her flock and seemed to be free of the desire to eat feathers.
We are 4 months past this incident, I have since allowed three of my older hens ( 2 that are 1Y6m, and 1 elder of 5+ years) to join the younger hens and everyone seemed to blend well! I have two other hens that are 1y6m and they are so aggressive to other birds they live separately, they do however love my eldest bird Kikyō, and won’t lay a beak on her.
Brontë has now began eating the rear feathers once again. She seems to be targeting two of the hens from the bottom of the pecking order, as I don’t see much feathers loss off the others, but I have seen her making attempts to snag their feathers.
She has plucked a big bald circle off the rear of my Nausicaä, and plucked Dagmar’s feathers behind each leg almost clean. She has also made a dent in my eldest hens feathers.
I observed another one of my young girls, Cheeks, starting to imitate the behaviour, going after feathers below the vent/ behind the legs.
I don’t have the exact dimensions for my coop and run, but inside it’s 12x5 approx, there are three sections inside that connect with doors. A good amount of space in the three runs. Poles inside and out, extra feeders, extra water buckets, 5 nesting boxes.
Two of the sections and runs were shared by 9 birds, while one section is where I house my 2 bully birds.
It’s a confusing configuration but I’m working with what I have to keep everyone safe and happy.
I have relocated Brontë and Cheeks to stay together away from their flock, they are now in the bully pen.
This shuffling of birds around has upset the young ones as they don’t have access to the extra space and run because the bullies are in the middle now living with my old girl Kikyō, these three get along lovely.
I can not put the feather eaters in the dog cage, I don’t have the room inside the coop to do this, and outside is it quite cold at the moment.
I do worry that Brontë will continue to eat feathers, but now from Cheeks. They’ve been locked up together for two days now and the goal is to have everyone live together again.
I’m hoping Cheeks will drop this habit, but Brontë seems to be struggling to resist the urge.
Thank you if you can offer any advice!
Sweet but confused girl Brontë…
Cheeks, always mischievous, now lumped in with the Cannibal Crew…
Baby Nausicaä and her poor bum, I am so sad I did not see the damage before it went this far.
If you can share any stories or advice you have on curing a chicken of feather eating, please leave a comment.
I’m interested to hear about methods of isolation, what you have fed the bird, ect.
Has anyone tried drastic measures such as pinless peepers?
Brontë is a pet and I’m desperate to make things right.
Here is the story behind it all;
She began this in the summer when she was a pullet. She would obsessively peck the soft bloomer feathers of her 5 other flock mates and eat their feathers.
I isolated her into a large metal dog cage during the day, outside in the run. At night she would sleep on the pole with the others and then back into the cage for the day.
While in the cage I fed her high protein crumbles, extra seeds, some sardines, some cat food.
After two weeks she rejoined her flock and seemed to be free of the desire to eat feathers.
We are 4 months past this incident, I have since allowed three of my older hens ( 2 that are 1Y6m, and 1 elder of 5+ years) to join the younger hens and everyone seemed to blend well! I have two other hens that are 1y6m and they are so aggressive to other birds they live separately, they do however love my eldest bird Kikyō, and won’t lay a beak on her.
Brontë has now began eating the rear feathers once again. She seems to be targeting two of the hens from the bottom of the pecking order, as I don’t see much feathers loss off the others, but I have seen her making attempts to snag their feathers.
She has plucked a big bald circle off the rear of my Nausicaä, and plucked Dagmar’s feathers behind each leg almost clean. She has also made a dent in my eldest hens feathers.
I observed another one of my young girls, Cheeks, starting to imitate the behaviour, going after feathers below the vent/ behind the legs.
I don’t have the exact dimensions for my coop and run, but inside it’s 12x5 approx, there are three sections inside that connect with doors. A good amount of space in the three runs. Poles inside and out, extra feeders, extra water buckets, 5 nesting boxes.
Two of the sections and runs were shared by 9 birds, while one section is where I house my 2 bully birds.
It’s a confusing configuration but I’m working with what I have to keep everyone safe and happy.
I have relocated Brontë and Cheeks to stay together away from their flock, they are now in the bully pen.
This shuffling of birds around has upset the young ones as they don’t have access to the extra space and run because the bullies are in the middle now living with my old girl Kikyō, these three get along lovely.
I can not put the feather eaters in the dog cage, I don’t have the room inside the coop to do this, and outside is it quite cold at the moment.
I do worry that Brontë will continue to eat feathers, but now from Cheeks. They’ve been locked up together for two days now and the goal is to have everyone live together again.
I’m hoping Cheeks will drop this habit, but Brontë seems to be struggling to resist the urge.
Thank you if you can offer any advice!
Sweet but confused girl Brontë…
Cheeks, always mischievous, now lumped in with the Cannibal Crew…
Baby Nausicaä and her poor bum, I am so sad I did not see the damage before it went this far.
