Feather Pecking

[Becky]

Hi! A newbie here, very grateful to come across such a helpful forum.

I'm having a problem with feather pecking in my 4 hybrids. We've had them since August , and sadly the coop and run we initially were sold wasn't big enough. We were told it was made for 6 hens, however even with the extension we bought realistically the outside run was barely big enough for 3. It wasn't long before I realised and they now have a much larger section of the garden to run around in however in that time one hen developed a taste for feather pecking and eating, mainly the bum area of the other three hens. I know this was happening as I managed to catch her at it one day .

I bought some Net-tex anti feather pecking spray and applied it to the other hens pecked area, although their feathers are starting to regrow the area around the edges which wasn't sprayed had then started to be pecked/eaten. I have still been applying the spray (despite the alarming warning of it being an irritant!), yesterday I sprayed all three hens and also the feathers around the edges of bald area for the first time to prevent them being pecked at - lo and behold this morning bully hen has been pecked at and now has a bald bum! I'm guessing one of the other hens also started, and as bully hen was the only one who wasn't sprayed they'd started on her bottom.

I've ordered a pack of bumpabits, and they should arrive tomorrow hopefully, however I bought them as a last resort as was worried they would impose and prevent the girls from enjoying their food and treats properly. They are fed on layer pellets and have a small portion of mixed corn as an afternoon treat. Plenty of grit, a pecking block and a few cabbages a week.

Is there anything diet or nutrition wise that could cause or help the pecking? Or is it a case of boredom turned habit?

Although they don't look sore the poor girls bums look very odd, and they just look a bit neglected in general when they're running around with naked bums missing feathers.

 

[Marigold]

Hi Becky, and welcome to the forum.
You're right that feather pecking can result from the stress of being confined within too small a space, and you are not alone in being misled by what some coop manufacturers state as being a suitable sized run for a specific number of chickens. The usual minimum floor area per bird which we advise is 2 sq. metres, but this is the minimum and more is better. In fact, it's really not possible to keep hens permanently a moveable run which is attached to a coop, because in order for it to be moveable, its bound to be far too small to do the job, for more than a couple of birds at any rate. It would be OK to have the hens confined in a smaller space for short periods of time, for example when they were gathered ready to go to roost at dusk, when a fox might be about, or early in the morning when they first emerge to feed, but as you've found, keeping them in a tiny run for longer than this just isn't on. Overcrowding inevitably leads to stress, and there are worse things than feather pecking which may result, eg actual bullying where blood is drawn from a lower-ranking hen who has nowhere to escape a bully, possibly even resulting in a horrible death for the poor bird. So its good that you are able to give them more freedom even if it means sacrificing more of your garden. Ideally, in time maybe you can build them a permanent run which is big enough for them to be happy and safe in, then you can still let them out sometimes but will know they are OK when this isn't possible for some reason.
Meanwhile, you are obviously doing all the right things and I don't think they need any extra supplements etc as they have a good varied diet with free ranging. I agree its unfortunately become a habit, and again you are doing the right thing in trying bumpa bits. Many people on here have found them very effective, and minimally upsetting to the hens, when correctly fitted and the hens have got used to them. If you try this for about a month, the bits may fall off anyway after a while and then you will be able to see whether they are cured of the habit. From the welfare point of view, anything has to be better than having your bum pecked, isn't it!
You might like to try putting Bumpa Bits into the Search box at the top of the page and then you should find some previous posts about them. Do let us know how you get on.

 

[Becky]

Thanks very much Marigold! They now have a good section of the garden fenced off around their house and seem rather pleased with it (although I can't say the gardens population of worms feel the same ) One I'm happy the rest of the garden is secure enough ideally I'll let them free-range as much as possible.

Feel so sorry at that thought that some people may be buying the same coop and run and keeping so many hens packed in .

I'll have a read about the bumpabits and give them a try when you arrive, fingers crossed.

 

[Becky]

The bumpabits have now arrived, however I've had the girls out free ranging around the garden while I've been home since posting originally and the feather pecking seems to have subsided. New feathers are coming through and haven't been pecked out, so I'm going to give it a few more days and see how they get on with the extra freedom they obviously needed before fitting them. Fingers crossed!

 

[Marigold]

That's great, seems as if the problem has been solved and with luck, you might not need to use the Bumpa Bits, though it will be good to have them and then you could jump on any feather pecking in the future before it got too bad.
What sort of run and coop did you buy? It would be interesting to see a link.

 

[Becky]

Sorry for the late reply!

The run was made by a local man who builds rabbit hutches/coops etc. so no stock photo online, the coop itself is well made and he genuinely put thought into it and spoke to breeders about how best to have everything, and made all aspects removable for cleaning etc.. It was just the run that was the main problem with size, but hopefully we're on the mend now! White hen is getting all her new feathers sprouting out now, and the others aren't far behind

 

[Marigold]

Fantastic! Problem solved! Glad you now have happy chooks.
Do keep posting, let us know how you get on.