Solitary chicken - need advice

[Eggasperated]

I have 3 Black X (Black Rock type but not bred by the official breeder) hens which I got in July at around 14 weeks. They have a moveable house with attached run plus two other runs which all join together.

Carol came into lay first and quickly became top hen. At the end of October we moved the hens onto the vegetable patch to clear old salad crops, they stripped the area and I then noticed that Carol had a bare patch on her back, the breeder suggested this was possibly a protein deficiency as there were no feathers in the runs and I had seen Carol plucking and eating her own feathers once or twice; so I gave them all daily cod liver oil and poultry spice, and occasional extras such as cat food, meal worms, sunflowers seeds and boiled egg. We moved the hens back onto the lawn area and there didn't seem to be any further problems for a couple of weeks and then I noticed Carols bottom getting more and more bare. At the end of November Carols tail feathers started to disappear and then she had a horrible bloody tail area and it was apparent that Pippa was pecking at her. After a visit to the vets where they prescribed calcium supplements (as well as anti-biotics for Carol), we kept Carol and Alice together and separated Pippa thinking she was the bully. I then found Alice pecking at another bloody patch on Carol, so separated Carol and kept Alice and Pippa together. Carol was kept in a run next to the others and then they all slept together at night as this did not seem to cause a problem. At the beginning of this week I then noticed Pippa plucking feathers out of Alices side so we fitted the bumper bits which I had got in case we needed them (actually the vet had to fit them but that's another story), we then decided that all the hens could go back together as we thought the bumper bits would solve any pecking problem and in the extreme cold this would be better for them. In the meantime Carols feathers had been growing back quite well although her tail still looks very tatty. Today, Christmas Eve, I noticed Carol seemed to be preening excessively and after lunch I noticed Pippa chasing her and pecking at her, now yet again Carol has a bloody patch on her tail and her preening gland is exposed and Pippa had a bloody beak so has managed to inflict some damage even with a bumper bit, so once again they are separated. During all this time all 3 hens have laid quite regularly (although Pippa less than the other 2) but Carol has a tendency to lay one or two tiny wind eggs each week.

I could really do with some advice on what can be wrong as it looks as if Carol is inflicting some damage on herself before Pippa starts pecking although when she is on her own she doesn't seem to preen herself anywhere near as aggressively. We have now fitted a bumper bit on Carol as well (vet again) to try and help cure this. We also call Carol 'the incredible shrinking hen' as she seems to be getting smaller and smaller, I don't know if this is the feather loss or whether she really is losing weight; despite all this she seems really happy in herself.

Neither the vet or the breeder have any further suggestions and all I really want is to keep 3 happy hens in one house. HELP

[Redwing]

Have you checked for mites/lice this can make hens peck at themselves

 

A good antipeck spray may help, Nettex do a good one, Akadex is the daddy of them all though

 

Next time then hen is bleeding use purple spray (from horsey shops) to cover the blood as the sight of the blood will make the other hens peck more (blue food colouring is a good substitute)

[Eggasperated]

I have checked for everything I can think of and vet has checked Carol over today. I use the purple spray as soon as I spot any bleeding and also the anti-pecking spray, which does seem to stop the others pecking Carol but doesn't stop her pulling at her own feathers.

[Egluntyne]

I have had an ongoing problem with one of my Amber Links being pecked, and also pecking herself. I bumperbitted the culprit and her, but she was still managing to self harm.

 

I then fitted her with a poultry saddle, like the one illustrated **here** and the result has been amazing. New feathers sprouting and an altogether happier looking hen.

[Eggasperated]

Thank you Egluntyne, I have looked at the link and have a couple of questions; will this stop Carol pulling out her tail feathers especially those round the preening gland? Will Carol need to be separated from the others until her feathers are completely grown back as I can see they could still pull out her bottom feathers? and would you have any idea what could possibly have triggered this in the first place?

I am really at my wits end as what I thought would be an enjoyable experience, with the reward of fresh eggs as well, has turned into a nightmare which takes up my entire time and keeps me awake at night worrying about the hens welfare (guess I feel like a bad mother!) I'm willing to try anything so I'm hoping a poultry saddle will be the answer.

[Redwing]

A poultry saddle will cover the preen gland ok so that should be fine

 

I wouldnt separate the peckee I would separate the main offender

 

Feather pecking is stressful but hopefully it will get better

[Eggasperated]

Hi Redwing, further to your original reply I have now examined Carol with a jewellers eyeglass and can see a few lice (tiny brown insects?) in her feathers on her back, although there is no sign of eggs at the base of the feathers. So now I wonder whether she has had these for the whole two months we've had the problems and that we all missed them. Is it possible for her to have them and not the other two? it seems odd especially as they have all been sleeping together.

Anyway I now intend to treat them all for lice; is it best to get the vet to put ivomectin drops on them or use a louse powder from the local pet shop?

[Redwing]

Ivermectin is the way to ensure that all bugs get got, one brand name available is Xeno 200, its a bit expensive but lasts well

 

I dont think its licenced for poultry in the uk and an egg withdrawl for abouut a week after use is prudent

 

Treat all of them and louse powder the house (DE powder is good) just in case although they are unlikely to be present in the house itself I believe

 

I would say that goes a long way to explaining the feather pecking, just hope that it hasnt become a habit that continues after the discomfort has gone

[Eggasperated]

OK, well I shall speak to my vet tomorrow and get some powder as well. I will be sticking with the bumper bits for the time being to try and keep any pecking under control and maybe try the poultry saddle as well.

I must say I feel really bad that I haven't been able to identify the problem earlier and hope I haven't caused any long-term issues; I think I shall be blaming myself for a long time.

Anyway updates to follow.

[Eggasperated]

Trip to the vets on Wednesday and all three hens given Xeno spot on. We had powdered Carol on Monday and she already seems to be looking better. Vet suggested 28 day egg withdrawal which seems like an awfully long time but I guess he knows best.

[Egluntyne]

It will stop pecking around the preen gland, but not the long tail feathers or the knicker feathers unfortunately.

 

Xeno 200 should do the trick.

 

What causes it? Many theories abound, but once they have developed a taste for newly emerging feathers with their rich blood supply, it is a hard habit to break.