[chickadee11]

Hi, I've posted about this last year but am giving it one last post a try. I unfortunately have four chickens who feather pluck and eat. All of the chickens do it and they all have bald spots, very large ones on two of them.  I have consulted an animal behaviour specialising in chickens and he told me it probably began in over crowded hatcheries and will now more than likely be impossible to stop.  He advised me to put them in individual pens where they can see each other for a minimum of 6 months.

I tried splitting them and now they are really stressed out, one laid a soft shelled egg for the first time today.  I only have one hen house so they are frantic when they want to lay an egg, I tried boxes with straw in but they're not using them.  All winter I've had 2 dozen eggs per week from 4 chickens with no problems other than very bald chickens who hate humans.  Now I'm trying to help them and they're stressed out!

I tried beak bits but they only worked for 2weeks and I can't put the chickens through that every two weeks.  Basically, I just don't know what to do. I'm very very close to culling them and getting new ones.

Any advice would be very welcome.

[hen addict]

I think in this case the advice you were given is correct. Over crowding causes stress. Feather plucking is a habit which is very hard to break. Personally I would have a look at how much room they have to live in? Can you increase there space? Rule out any nasties lice,mites, red mite? Feather plucking can indicate a lack of protein? You could try changing there feed? Soft shelled eggs is an indication there is vital calcium missing in the diet. A calcium based grit such as oyster shell should sort that out. My birds eat dropped feathers it's normal, but plucking is not. Be very careful they don't draw blood hens will turn on each other when blood is drawn they can be cannibalistic! Also try spraying all the bald bits with purple spray that should protect the bald bits from attack hope it sorts out as once blood is drawn it's time to cull good luck

[joyfull]

what size hen house and run do you have (please post a photo and give sizes). Also to encourage them to lay in a box try getting some dummy eggs (you can get pot, plastic and rubber ones) and place them in the box. The rubber ones are very realistic because once my hen sitter collected the eggs and then boiled them to make pickled eggs. She came to peeling them and couldn't understand why she couldn't crack the rubber egg shell until she dropped it and it bounced. It took her over a year to own up to that 

[chickadee11]

I feed the chickens Hodson & Dorrell layers pellets, we chose this food because it has the recommended protein level, some cheap ones have less. they also have oyster/grit available all the time and I give them corn and dried worms as a treat.  I give them quite a lot of worms as they're high in protein but it doesn't make any difference. 

They live in an eglu cube, so lots of space for four chickens.  The cube has the extended run but we don't lock them in it.  They are in a secure area of approx 20 to 30 sq mtrs.  Can't enlarge the space.  We used to keep 5 ex-bats in this same space and they were sooo happy and friendly.  I have two separate feeding stations, each with two water holes and two feeding holes so they don't ever have to compete for food. 

I will post a pic separately if I can, the pics are on my phone.

They don't have mites/lice/worms, I am absolutely sure they're feather plucking for the protein.  One chicken did bleed when they pulled a large feather out but fortunately it didn't start a frenzy...but I am worried it's only a matter of time.  Will try the purple stuff, thank you for that suggestion.  Love the dummy egg suggestion too, will pick some up tomorrow, if it fools your hen sitter I'm sure it'll fool the chickens :-). They seemed calmer tonight so I'll continue separating them for now and hopefully at least they can refeather.

Any other suggestions and comments are very much appreciated.

[hen addict]

It's sounds like you have a pretty good set up, so the problem is probably psychological. There a a couple of things you can try.
1- is there any chance you can get or borrow a cockerel? Cockerals are very good at sorting out squabbles between the hens, they intervene and peace is restored very quickly. It also might be the distraction they need to break the habit.
2- as you think the protein levels are out of balance( which was my first thought )try this
Mix a good spoon full or 2 of mixed corn into a small tin of fish in oil. It can be any fish but must be in oil. The hens love it, it's safe to eat the eggs and the extra calcium from the soft fish bones will help. Feed up to 3 times a week to start with then reduce to once a week if they settle down.

Just out of interest are your birds hybrids? I ask because at this time of year hybrids are going into full production mode, it's what they are bred for "egg production" which can mean they are putting out a lot more energy than they are taking in. And would explain a lot of the symptoms you describe. I keep hybrids and keep a carefully eye on them I up the protein during the spring and summer as a precaution which in turn prepares them for the moult in the autumn. Hope this helps
Ps I forgot to add plenty of green food, kayle and cabbage work well with mine

[joyfull]

please watch the amount of oil as this can cause liver problems in chickens.

[helens-hens]

Have you tried hanging up 'entertainment' for them such as a cabbage, cauliflower or swede?

I always suspend something like this from the roof of our run and it helps keep them occupied during the course of the day. A guaranteed winner is fresh corn on the cob - I give my 3 half a cob suspended in a wild bird food holder.

[Sassy]

I had a hen that feather-pecked. She had quality feed, fresh water, grit and oyster shell and free-ranged. All other hens fine?!

[splash101]

If you are looking for an alternative protein boost (and you have the patience) try soaking and sprouting some beans / peas.
Mung beans are fairly quick to sprout and are packed with protein.
You can also sprout sunflower seeds

[Lardman]

I had a hen that feather-pecked. She had quality feed, fresh water, grit and oyster shell and free-ranged. All other hens fine?!

I've also got 1 hen who has developed the habit and I can't break her of it. She has a beak bit in at the moment, but that doesn't seem to be stopping her any more. I think she does it just because she can. 

[hen addict]

Sadly in my experience there is sometimes nothing that can be done to break the habit, once blood is drawn it's the end of the road. The choice for me after trying everything I know of, is either keep the offender in isolation for the rest of its days, in which case it will probably start on its own feathers till it draws blood or cull. sometimes It's kinder all round to cull 

[chickadee11]

Thank you so much for all the replies. It's good to know I'm not doing anything terribly wrong.  I'll try the fish oil, not overly concerned about long term health because if I can't break them of the habit I agree with hen addict that I'm going to have to cull them. Unfortunately it isn't one bird doing it, they're all doing it so I will have to have all four culled and then start again.  I won't be around when it's done, I will be very sad.

Just to answer the question about hybrids, they are speckledies and Bluebells but each bird has laid 6 eggs each week all winter so I think they've been in full production mode all winter.  I have tried hanging veg up for them to peck on but they ignore it, have bought corn pecking blocks too but they ignore those as well.  These are not normal chickens.

Thank you all again for suggestions and comments.

[hen addict]

Ahhh that explains a lot bluebells are def hybrid. Hybrids have a very high metabolic rate to utilise the food intake to produce eggs compared to a pure bred hen. The hormones are high at this time of year which can make some birds irritable. Over the last 18 mths I have heard about several bluebells with this trait of going nasty. I don't know if it is just coincidence or whether it's in a particular strain of hen but 1 of mine (a bluebell) had to go last year because it went totally out of control. I really know what you mean about "not being normal hens"demonic little monsters springs to mind. The problem is the other birds copy the behaviour when feeling tetchy.
Don't worry to much about the" oil" it's correct to much can cause liver damage in a lot of pure bred hens but hybrids use up the extra calorie input in energy conversion. I just wonder if it was the bluebell that started the ball rolling? Good luck with them I hope it sorts out if not you gave them a fair chance.

[chickadee11]

Thanks hen addict.  Are you able to recommend a breed of chicken?  We had ex-bats before and they were so friendly, always nosey and interested in what I was doing and they used to let me stroke them while they did their little stampy-feet thing, in comparison to these ones who are extremely nervous, flighty and deranged, they were a joy!  If I do end up getting some more I'd like some happy, friendly, calm, relaxed chickens that provide a reasonable supply of eggs and entertainment. 

[hen addict]

Phew where to start I can go on forever talking about hens it sounds like you will have a blank page to start with so to speak. A little info and a few surgestions might help. The one important thing I've learnt in my poultry keeping experience is all hens have different personalities whatever the breed shape or size it's a 50/50 risk you might get a bad one.

Nearly all commercial hybrids are a 1st x with one parent being a RIR, Rhode island reds are fantastic egg layers but they are not the most sociable birds around and its common knowledge that they can be nasty. Personally I always buy birds in pairs of the same type. This has taught me that the personalities of each hen are very different. Some tame very easily others will always keep their distance. In my bunch at the moment I have 2 Ambers they are by far the friendliest. My Ambers are a RIR X white star they vary in colour from deep cream with Brown flecks to nearly white and have got very gentle personalities they lay creamy Brown good sized eggs once they get going. A close second is the copper head marans again a RIR x French marans lovely big back birds with shinning copper neck feathers with very different personalities. One has a not a care in the world attitude the other panics a bit and can be flighty. They lay wonderful dark reddish Brown eggs. Also in my bunch are 4 white leg horn x white stars these are full of personality fantastic layers of large white eggs, but not suitable for petting birds as they are flighty and very fast. Then come the Colombian black tails another RIR x i had a few problems with these 2 when the bluebell was around but there bad behaviour stoped  once the bluebell was gone. they are good layers although 1 does like to brood for 10 days or so before giving up! Not bad for a hybrid. Then I have my broody a Gold Top she's beautiful, loving, and wonderful to own plus 1 other that I really have no idea of its parentage? A pure mongrel

Another breed to look at is the LS light sussex good all round birds, good egg layers but the down side is they don't take to confinement very well, they do much better on a large free range system.
A breed I am looking into at the moment is the Welsh black supplied by castlefarm poultry it's worth having a look at the website. What ever you decide my advice would be do some research and shop around, take your time and choose wisely, pay a bit extra for good birds it pays off in the long run. A final word if the hens you have now are vaccinated? Get new vaccinated birds. Nearly all pure bred hens are not vaccinated, so if there's anything in your ground vaccinated birds are ok with it good luck happy hen shopping