Pecking tail feathers.

[chickenchicklady]

I noticed this morning that two of my chickens got pretty picked on. One of their bottoms like like this. I’m worried. I have him/her(?) separated in a separated cage for now with food and water. What should I do?

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

When you separate it, still house within eyesight around the flock so that when it heals and you reintroduce it back to the flock and it won't be even more of an outcast. Do have enough space for all your chickens so they are not over crowded? Have you placed obstacles and perches so that the ones at the bottom of the totem pole can hide or get out of reach and have a break from harassment? I also keep two feeding stations and water bowls so they don't have to compete so hard for food.

 

[coach723]

How many birds in how much space? Both run and coop? Over crowding is often an issue. This sometimes happens on the roosts as they battle for space. Sometimes redoing the roosting layout can help. Some observing should help tell you what's going on. Once blood is drawn, that is going to draw more pecking and sometimes cannibalism. When new feathers are coming in, the shaft is filled with blood, so breaking one of those can cause bleeding. I can't tell if that is what the blood is from here, or if it's a skin injury. If they are molting, that may be contributing, with many new feathers coming in. Feather picking can also sometimes be aggravated by too low of protein in the diet, so minimize treats that dilute the protein content (keep it to less than 10% of total diet).

 

[chickenchicklady]

I’m thinking it may be the protein... they get lots of snacks (kitchen veggie scraps) every day. I’ll try minimizing that and see if it helps..

We built their run/coop following the rules with 10-12 in space per bird on roosting bars, 3 sq/ft per bird in coop, and 10 sq/ft per bird in run.
Will it help to keep her separated until her tail feather start going back?

How many birds in how much space? Both run and coop? Over crowding is often an issue. This sometimes happens on the roosts as they battle for space. Sometimes redoing the roosting layout can help. Some observing should help tell you what's going on. Once blood is drawn, that is going to draw more pecking and sometimes cannibalism. When new feathers are coming in, the shaft is filled with blood, so breaking one of those can cause bleeding. I can't tell if that is what the blood is from here, or if it's a skin injury. If they are molting, that may be contributing, with many new feathers coming in. Feather picking can also sometimes be aggravated by too low of protein in the diet, so minimize treats that dilute the protein content (keep it to less than 10% of total diet).

 

[coach723]

You could also try Blu-kote to disguise the area. The longer she is away, the longer it will take to reintegrate her. I would keep her separated until there is no bleeding, then try to incorporate other ways to help. If you can put some things in the run she can hide behind (without being cornered), or places she can get up and away, like more raised roosts, it may help. Another feeder and waterer, depending on how many you have now. I would try to see who is doing the pecking and do some observing, see if you have a bully, or just need more space. Those measurements are generally considered minimums, and flock dynamics make a big difference. What works for one group may not work for another group. One aggressive bird can make it too small very quickly, and anytime you gain or lose birds the order will reset, and things can change. The actual personalities of the birds make the final determination on what is enough space, and what is not.

 

[chickenchicklady]

Ok, I will re-integrate her. I just had her in a
Chicken wire cage inside of the run, hoping that having the rest of the flock be able to see her, it wouldn’t do much damage having her separated.
I did order some blu-kote last night. Both my local farm stores we’re out.