[CluckyChicken]

Happy New Year!

For a few weeks now, my light sussex keeps pecking out the feathers from the maran.  The maran is the top in the pecking order, and the sussex second (she has 3 chicks, 13 weeks old who now fend for themselves).

There is no blood at all, but the sussex just eats the feathers.  She has plenty of food, water and greens.  Also, she only does it when she is in the run- is it boredom?

Thanks, because my maran is running out of clothing!

[orchardlady]

It sounds as if your Light Sussex has formed a very unfortunate habit much to the her Maran friends detriment. I would suggest that you put a beak ring onto your naughty LS and hopefully in a few weeks you can take it off or it will fall off of it's own accord by which time she will have forgotten that eating other peoples feathers is a good idea.

[CluckyChicken]

okay, thanks OL!  Why does she do it though- is there any way to stop it?

[New shoot]

Hens do get into bad habits sometimes.  It could have been boredom that set her off, but the only way to stop it is with a beak ring as Orchardlady suggests.  It stops the hen being able to fully close her beak so she can't get a grip on feathers.

Do you hang up your greens so they have to work a bit for them?  Chickens are designed to be busy creatures and if all their food is handed to them on a plate, they can get restless.  A few logs to jump up and down off in the run and a dust bath also gives them things to do 

[CluckyChicken]

okay excellent thanks guys.  will hang up her greens instead.  can I just use string or will she eat that too? 

[New shoot]

okay excellent thanks guys.  will hang up her greens instead.  can I just use string or will she eat that too? 

She may well have a go     

[CluckyChicken]

knowing her, she'd eat the string first