•1 min read•from chickens

Help! Feather eating!

Our take

Oh no, chicken drama alert! 🐔 If you've got a hen that's taken a fancy to her flockmates' feathers—snacking on just the tops—you're not alone in this clucking conundrum! Feather-eating can be a puzzling behavior, and it sounds like your girl has a history of being a bit of a pecking princess. While you've tried upping her protein and providing enrichment, it’s understandable to worry about her potential return to her old ways. Separating her again might seem like a solution, but it could stress her out and disrupt her laying habits. Let's explore some creative solutions that can keep your feathered friends happy and healthy while addressing this quirky issue. Don’t worry, we’ll work through this together!
Help! Feather eating!
Help! Feather eating!

I have a hen that is eating the feathers on the backs of the other hens. She is not plucking the whole feather, just the top half. I have tried increasing protein and enrichment. When she was a chick she would peck the others until they bled. She was separated and it hasn’t been a problem since. Because of this I am worried her feather eating habit will turn worse. Should I separate her? I am really worried about this stressing her out too much and also that it might break her habit of laying in the nesting boxes

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#chickens#fear of chickens#feather eating#hen#plucking#protein#enrichment#chick#pecking#separated#stress#laying#nesting boxes#habit#bloody#worry#behavior#problem#other hens#back