[milarepa]

  >:(is it. we live in a wood shared by 5 other cottages with avaried distance beetween us 4 of us keep hens 2 of us have the same problem we we both soend time with our hens and make sure they are watered and fed well i have12 warrens 1light sussex and a young buff orpington cock just lately the warrens have started plucking themselves not the sussex or the cock.they are freerange other than for a few hours each am whilst they lay. this being very random sometimes 10 sometimes 2 by the way there pen is large enough for trbele this amount of hens the other keeper keeps his the same.his problems are bigger today he found 1 of his new hens dead pecked to death by it mates .the others are badly plucked as well but still laying well the other keeper dont feed hi hens leaves them out at night to fend for themselves but they look brilliant no plucking dont know about eggs i feed min pellets am mixed corn pm plus any greens from garden .        any advise 

[Dizzycow]

Goodness gracious. You sound like me after quaffing several vats of sloe gin.

A few of my girls have been a bit plucked, I'm not sure if it's self inflicted (so I've diatomed them and scourged out the coops) but have never been so unfortunate to have a bird pecked to death, that sounds horrible, poor you.

Good luck. 

[PetiteGalette]

Have they calcium/oyster shell  freely available?
The start of it could be a calcium deficiency......................

[Miss Piggy]

Hi Milarepa,
It sounds like your hens may be going through a natural moult, some of my warrens are at the moment. They can look almost like oven ready birds or just really scruffy as they loose there feathers and the new ones start to grow. Feathers are 85% protein so when birds moult, replacing their feathers, laying hens will usually stop producing eggs. Eggs are made up mainly of protein and it is too much for a hen to produce new feathers as well as eggs. Some hens will continue to lay occasionally though. It is essential to ensure they are getting sufficient protein, layers pellets contain quite a lot more protein than mixed corn and so some people suggest not giving mixed corn when hens are moulting as they will always eat this in preference to pellets.  In extreme cases if chickens are not getting enough protein, they will peck at other birds feathers and eat them in order to increase their protein levels. Birds are very vulnerable at this time since it doesn't take much for a wound to appear and chickens love to peck at red blood exasperating the problem. You should always separate a bird if blood is visible. Some poultry keepers supplement their birds diets with additional protein. Dried cat food is a good source of protein and a handful of this a few times a week can help top up your birds protein levels. Dog food also contains protein but this comes from grains. Cat food protein comes from animals and is rich in amino acids that your birds need during the moult. This additional protein will help them to get back into lay after they have finished their moult. Hope this helps. It may not be the problem but a possibility. Keep us posted and good luck.

[chrismahon]

Sounds like feed deficiency or boredom and overcrowding. How much space have they got Milarepa?

Wrong time of year to be moulting.

[Miss Piggy]

Some of my hens are moulting now, generally hens dont moult mid winter but depends on various things and its ot that uncommon. I have kept hens for over 20 years and know for a fact that some of mine are moulting now. Hens will moult when they come to the end of their annual laying cycle and that depends on when they started to lay depending on when they were born. Normally, moulting in adult birds will occur once a year, but it may occur in certain individuals twice in one year, and sometimes only once in a period of two years. We have very mild winters here not having had a frost yet, many years we don't, the last 2 winters were very unusual for us and I'm sure that may delay their moult.

[manian]

nope
i agree with miss piggy
some of mine are moulting at the moment.
one of my warrenspecked a feather on her chest and it bled, the others were attracted by it so had to separate her while it healed, it they saw a bleeding spot then the others would go for it.
may be bordom pecking or moult causing pecking

we give ours layers morning and evening and corn at lunch as a treat

[CameronS]

i again agree with miss piggy, as some of my hens also are molting and look awful!

 but giving them extra grit etc won't do any harm - i know some people who grind up old shells and mix it through their mash/pellets

[colliewoman]

My first guess would be parasites in the coop, if for no other reason than the ones left out all night are not affected.

[milarepa]

checked for mites no sign chicken pen is new cieaned out each week  pellets am mixed corn pm freeranging from about 9,30 each day increase ineggs   the run they spend minimal time in measures 30 sqmetres   at a loss

[chrismahon]

Ours did go through a pecking feathers phase last year. Turned our to be neck/head lice. They are solitary lice and very fast moving, we couldn't see them but the chickens could. Didn't respond to powder or pyrethum and had to use Frontline spray.

We have found that once blood is tasted they remember it and won't stop, even when isolated for 3 months. Beak bits seem to be effective apparently -haven't tried them. We had a major problem with Wyandottes eating the cockerels combs. The offending hens in that case were culled.

[northfifeduckling]

feather pecking could be lice, mainly around the vent and larger area. You might see clusters of eggs at the base of the feathers. Never seen a solitary louse  , maybe too fast for me, must put my glasses on  Once blood is drawn the others can turn cannibals....try to up their protein intake, that's supposed to reduce them pecking at each other.