Seeking Input :-)

[Val]

My chickens are plucking their own feathers out and pecking at each other; some are sporting bald patches and some are bleeding at the base of their tail feathers – the rooster is not responsible for the missing tail feathers of the bloody tail ends: I removed my rooster from the flock last week because even he was getting the sharp end of several beaks on his backside!

My Hen House is keep clean – I change the straw every other day and change the soiled straw out twice a week. They have fresh water and feed every day – they always have feed (Flock Raiser with cracked corn and alfalfa supplemented every few days; also fresh vegetable scraps/worms from the worm bin when it’s not freezing weather). I sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth over the straw when I freshen it and change it out.

I have read that vinegar in the water and Flock Block may help in regards to giving them something else to peck at besides themselves and each other.

My husband thinks they may all be molting, but it’s winter time, and it seems to me that they would not want to be naked when the weather is cold enough to give them all pneumonia! Also, I don’t remember last year’s chickens blooding themselves or each other while molting.

ANY INSIGHT would be helpful and much appreciated as I am hoping for chicks come Spring and don’t want them to be pecked to death. Last year I ended up butchering all my hens because they turned cannibalistic; do you think this is what is happening again?

Thanks.

~Val

[Andy Jones]

Same thing here,Val.I have the same ratio of hens and roosters,same feed,just like previous years.Never had them do this before.Several roosters don't have any tail feathers;the hens have picked them all out.

I don't know what the answer is to this problem.I had a few hens back in the summer that were almost completely naked.

Andy

[Terri]

This sounds like mites.

It has been years since I had them and my memories of the treatment have gotten vague: no doubt some one here with a bettter memory will chime in!

[Val]

Thanks for your reply Andy.

~Val

[Val]

Thanks for your reply Terri.

I use Diatomaceous Earth in the Hen House straw litter ... and cold wood ashes in the summer. Maybe they need something stronger? I don't want to use chemicals though as these are my working egg layer chickens as well as a meat on feet source.

~Val

[kamont]

This problem could be for several reasons, poor feed, crowding, tight space around waterers/feeders. Things you can try-- freerange space, mash, rolled oats, high fibre feeds, lower light levels/ less time with lights on. Because the birds are canabilistic cover any visable blood spots with cornstarch. hope this helps

[oldtimer]

This problem could be for several reasons, poor feed, crowding, tight space around waterers/feeders. Things you can try-- freerange space, mash, rolled oats, high fibre feeds, lower light levels/ less time with lights on. Because the birds are canabilistic cover any visable blood spots with cornstarch. hope this helps
Exactly,

It could be mites, but generally chickens will start picking when they have a naked patch from moulting. They'll moult at any time, cold weather has nothing to do with it. Any change, lack of feed or water for a day, something scare them, or even when they get old enough that their first year of laying is over,

Winter is a bad time for picking because they're bored and lack for green grass and bugs to pick at.

ACME Garden Guard in a nontoxic bug dust you might dust them with, but check for mites, pull the feathers back the wrong way especially under the wings and inspect and see if you see any little crawlies.

I keep cold wood ashes in my chicken house for dusting year round and mites are no problem but they sometimes still peck. Once they get the taste of blood so's to speak they go nuts and will pick til they kill. Get some pine tar and put it on the picked on spots.

Too, are your chickens debeaked? Sometimes that's the only cure for birds that get it into their head to pick. You don't have lights on 24/7 do you?

Eliminate all factors. I always keep lots of punkins and squash so in the winter months when they're bored and can't go out I put a punkin in there for them to pick on just for entertainment.

[Val]

Thank you kamont :-)

I made my own feed last year, but my hens went cannibalistic so I butchered them all come Spring and started all over again – this year I tried bagged feed hoping to stop the carnage … obviously I failed :-(

I do have 9 hens and 1 rooster in a 4 ft x 4 ft Hen House with a 10 ft x 12 ft Hen Pen attached to it. I shut them in at night because we have marauding raccoons that have tried to get at them: they have ganged up on the Hen House and rocked it pretty good one night! They have also torn the chicken wire trying to get at them; so far the Hen House is holding. We think they have adequate room as each hen has it’s own nesting box (18 in x 18 in) as well as a wide roosting ledge above it all. The feeder is hung in one corner and the water in the opposite corner; I suppose it could get tight. We are planning to get a larger Hen House in the next year. Free range is not an option at this point. I do keep a light (about 100 – 150 watt bulb) in the Hen House ON all the time because they get so wet here in the PNW and I don’t want them to catch a chill and die on me – I lost 18 little chicks in the Spring and it was awful to watch and experience! These birds I have now are the second batch of chicks I bought and I don’t want to lose any to sickness. Also the steady supply of eggs are welcomed.

I will try the cornstarch, but I do not think it will last in the continual rainfall. I do thank you though for your suggestions and will do what I can to implement them.

I am going for a Flock Block this weekend, perhaps I will ask about a higher fiber organic feed.

~Val

[Val]

Thank you for your reply oldtimer :-)

I didn’t know about the out-of-season molt – good to know.

I do have some greens I could give them as everything stays green here – even when it snows because the snow is sparse and the freezes aren’t long lasting. I thought the alfalfa pellets would be enough until new growth of greenery begins, but maybe not. I'll start with that tomorrow … they really go for the dandelion greens. I think the bunnies have left enough kale in the garden too.

They have been pecking under their wings too – I’ll look for some ACME Garden Guard when I’m at the Feed Store this weekend. It’s the bloodlust that worries me. My last flock went beserk and really went at each other; I had to butcher every one of them. They reminded me of little raptors. Where can I find Pine Tar?

My chickens still have their beak tips – and yes, I do keep a light on 24/7/365. It’s wet here 95% of the year and the light keeps they dry.

I’ll keep the pumpkin and squash trick in mind – I always have a bumper crop of both and there is only the husband and myself knocking around the house now; rather than watch them rot in the slumbering garden, the chickens may as well have them if it will quell the bloodlust.

~Val

[Val]

You have all been so helpful! Thank you so much :-)

~Val

[kamont]

[QUOTE=Val;258607]Thank you for your reply oldtimer :-)
yes, I do keep a light on 24/7/365. It’s wet here 95% of the year and the light keeps they dry.

Try replaceing your lights with infrared lights or just red bulbs shut off when not needed, having bright white lights on 24/7 is probably the cause of pecking/cannibalism. hope this helps

[sbemt456]

Just curious, what breed of chickens do ya have? I have had barred rocks, buff orphingtons and black jersey giants that did the same thing. I think my problem in the end was too many birds in too small a space and from the measurement you stated, that might be something to consider. Our house had a window in it but it was not a bright light source, I had no mites, and they had a good diet. THey just got bored and some breeds are nervous and hyper by nature and I think this makes them worse. Just something to think about.

Have a great day!

stella

[Val]

Thanks kamont, I’ll buy some of these bulbs while picking up the Flockblock this weekend. Appreciate the input :-) I really enjoy my chickens, I’d hate to have to butcher this flock as I did last year.

[Val]

Stella, I have a Buff Orpington Rooster and a BO hen; 2 Rhode Island Reds hens, 1 Americauna hen, 1 Coco Maran hen, and 3 Wellsummers hens.

I have been considering culling one of the Rhodies and 2 of the Wellsummers hens which will bring my small flock of birds down to a total of 6: 1 rooster and 5 hens – Tov (BO R), Yocheved (BO H), Chana (CM), Keshet(AM), Henya (RIR), Mya (WS). Then after I get chicks … hope/hope! … culling them back further (perhaps only keeping Tov and Yocheved) in keeping the meat on feet tender and the eggs fresher.

I am hoping we can move deeper into the countryside in another year where these decisions won’t be so difficult. I like my chicken breeds so paring my birds back to only two is going to be hard. But, I can do it – I just don’t want to have to do it.

[land steward]

I remember my grama having trouble like this. From what I remember she used to put something on their backs from under the Kitchen sink. Cant remember what is was. She also used to seperate them. She thought part of this was due to something lacking in their diet? Not sure

[Val]

How do I delete my posts and Unsub? This is not the place for me ...

[bookwormom]

the way you describe your situation, your ladies have a high stress level. With a small hen lot like yours, can you stretch a tarp over it to keep them in the dry? that way you do not need to have the light on all the time. are they just pecking to be mean, or do you notice if they are eating the feathers? That would be a sign of deficiency. In winter, I toss some hay in , on the ground, and I put ground hay in a feeder. They eat it. Ialso spread a bale of spoiled hay around and toss shelled corn on that, so they have to scratch and look for food that way.

[Val]

the way you describe your situation, your ladies have a high stress level. With a small hen lot like yours, can you stretch a tarp over it to keep them in the dry? that way you do not need to have the light on all the time. are they just pecking to be mean, or do you notice if they are eating the feathers? That would be a sign of deficiency. In winter, I toss some hay in , on the ground, and I put ground hay in a feeder. They eat it. Ialso spread a bale of spoiled hay around and toss shelled corn on that, so they have to scratch and look for food that way.

We tried tarping two years ago and it was a fiasco - high river winds and heavy rainfall nearly tore the Hen Pen down with the tarp attached to it: LOL

They are just pecking at each other's tailends as well as digging under their own wings. I see feathers are littering the Hen House and Hen Pen so apparently they are not eating them. We have noticed though that the eggs are thinner shelled the past two weeks despite the added oyster shell to the feed (10 pounds shell to 50-pounds feed). I lay fresh straw in the Hen Pen every 2 weeks to keep it relatively drier and not so mushy in the rainfall. Ground hay in a feeder? Never heard of that ... may as well try it :-) What does that do for them? I do give them a generous helping of alfalfa pellets and cracked corn every week.

I changed the 60 watt bright bulb out for a red energy-saver bulb with the same wattage and they seem to appreciate that. I have also added a FlockBlock to the Hen House and that has been pecked at; maybe they will direct their attention to the block now instead of each other in the flock.

[Val]

I would still like some information on how I can delete my posts and pull my pictures. For the most part people have been very helpful in regards to my chickens post ... but I do live with a timber/gray wolf also and some people have been downright mean and nasty about that. This forum environment just really isn't where I need to be - I can't abide people who kill just to kill and hate just because they can.

[Val]

Deleting and leaving. Thanks to all who offered advice.