Will hoey

[susanb]

Hi. I was just watching my top hen & another high ranker having dust baths. 3 of the lower ranked hens came over & started pulling out feathers & eating them. The dust bathing girls seemed oblivious to what was happening. It was small fluffy feathers that the others were pulling (out of the two dust bathers). Is this normal behaviour? Were the lower hens performing a "service" of some kind to the top hens? I couldn't understand why the top hens didn't shout or move or anything! I broke it up as it seemed so odd - then thought I would ask you all for any opinions.

[TooLilac]

I don't know if this is normal (hopefully someone with more knowledge will answer that for you!). We have lots of moulting going on, and some of my girls pull lots of the fluffy feathers out as part of their preening beauty routine. We have one in particular who loves the dustbath, and you can tell when she's been in as it is full of feathers.

When I cleaned out the WIR this morning, there were more feathers than sawdust - I would have thought they had cannabalised one of the flock given the amount of feathers! No-one looked particularly bald, so I guess it's just a big shed of fluffy feathers.

Having looked at some of spiky pinfeathers coming through, it must be a bit uncomfortable, so I think that's why there is so much dustbathing activity - trying to scratch some itches.

[susanb]

Thank you. I do have a couple of girls moulting, but the ones in the dust bath (whose feathers were being pulled out) are less than 6 months old - so I don't think they are moulting. One of those doing the pulling has been moulting - so perhaps that explains it. (Although does not explain why they did not get shouted at)