How to Prevent Feather Picking in Chickens
Chickens require a certain amount of protein in order to remain healthy. If they don't get what they need they will pull feathers from other chickens and even from themselves, and eat them. This leads to unattractive balding in birds and can also lead to injuries and bleeding, which is a dangerous condition around other chickens, since the sight of blood usually inspires a vicious attack.
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Things You'll Need
- Vinegar
- Avian vitamin powder
- Boiled eggs or leftover meat portions
- Cat food
Instructions
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How to Prevent Feather Picking in Chickens
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Picking is usually the result of a lack of protein in the chicken's diet. You can prevent this deficiency by chopping up some dry cat food into bite-sized bits and feeding it to the birds.
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2
Feed your chickens pieces of meat left over from your dinner table. Chickens actually love meat, including chicken, so feel free to give them your table scraps for the protein values.
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3
Buy vitamin powder for your fowl and add it to their drinking water. It requires two tiny cupfuls of powder per gallon of water. These vitamins usually come with their own little measuring cup. If not, use a teaspoon. It turns the water brown but chickens love the stuff.
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4
Buying vinegar is a lot cheaper than special ready-made avian vitamins and it contains a lot of the same stuff. Put a couple teaspoons of vinegar into a gallon jug of water and pour it into a watering station for the chickens to drink.
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Boil up any excess eggs you happen to have and feed them back to the chickens, thereby providing them with protein from a source they enjoy very much. This may also help keep them from breaking their own eggs in order to eat them, another sign of protein deficiency.
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Tips & Warnings
If feather picking has begun, remove the victimized chicken from the flock until she has a chance to heal, otherwise, she will be picked to death due to the blood lust that inevitably results.
Never use a chicken for food if it appears to be ill. Use a healthy appearing bird instead.
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Comments
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kelleysamantha1
Jan 17, 2011
Based on my research, do treat the wounded bird but do NOT isolate her - isolate the bully! If the weaker bird is isolated, she will be far worse off when reintroduced to the flock.
