gentle feather pecking

[clucking chicks]

This maybe the daftest question ever to be asked on this forum.

Can anyone tell me why Doris is quite gently pecking away at Elsie's feathers (the soft ones around her bum!)
I have read about feather pecking by the dominant hen on your forum before, but at the moment, it doesn't seem malicious. Please can you help and maybe suggest what I should do ( although it doesn't seem to be bothering Elsie).


PS Had a double yolker today. My daughter thought all her Christmases had come at once!

 

[bantiekeeper]

No expert, but it is the moulting season so maybe she is assisting with the removal of some loose feathers.

 

[Bertie & The Chooks]

is she grooming her? it is moulting season as mentioned above!

 

[Chuck]

They do it out of boredom & curiosity then get a taste for it. If it persists, the new feathers can get pulled out as they come through causing bleeding which will cause even more pecking. I'd try some Net Tex anti peck spray & apply it regularly.

Sometimes, no harm is done, just makes the pecked one unsightly.

 

[Marigold]

They do like to eat the small feathers which are discarded when they're moulting, so there must be some nice taste or instinctive need for the extra nourishment in feathers which makes them feel it's a shame to let them go to waste. Had you considered trying a vitamin and mineral supplement, such as Lifeguard or Chicken Spice, just in case she would benefit from the boost?

i have also heard that if you replace their drinker with a jumbo-sized rabbit bottle drinker, the feather pecking gets diverted into 'nibbling' the bottle spout, and also helps prevent boredom by giving them something else to do. Might be worth a try. Has anyone else used drip drinkers for their birds?

 

[chrismahon]

Agree with whats been said so far but add that in my experience this preening turns into feather pecking and bald bottoms. Treat then as Chuck says and stop them getting bored as Marigold says. Try mash instead of pellets -the tiny bits give them something to occupy them as it takes so long to gather a crop full.