Mary Allen
Feather pecking is probably the most dangerous misbehavior of chickens. The cause is mostly unclear. Once the animals have started to peck each other’s feathers, it is difficult to break the habit – with sometimes devastating consequences.
According to the Aviforum’s “poultry husbandry” teaching material, it’s a common vice of hens: pecking at each other’s growing feathers. The possible consequential damage ranges from harmless to fatal, depending on the infestation. It gets worse when the animals inflict wounds on each other. This and the constant pecking can lead to death by bleeding to death.
They often peck at the base of the tailor at the toes. At worst, it looks like cannibalism. Then the chicken’s peck opens the cloaca and even eviscerates the victim completely. This can even go so far that the herd chooses a new victim every day.
Unknown Triggers
On the other hand, it seems almost harmless when the hens peck away their feathers without leaving any wounds. These bald spots can lead to heat loss in the hens and thus ensure an increased need for feed.
There are many causes of feather pecking, and to this day it is not possible to pinpoint exactly what causes feather pecking. One possible reason could be genetics. As the Aviforum writes in the teaching aid “Poultry Husbandry”, brown laying hybrids show a greater tendency to feather pox than white ones during the laying phase. In rearing it is rather the other way around.
Housing and feeding certainly have a major impact. A high population density in the barn often leads to feather pecking. But an event such as a breakdown in feeding or watering can also be a trigger. These are stress factors that can trigger feather pecking.
The prospective poultry judge Reto Giacometti examined feather pecking in pedigree chickens and laying quails in more detail in his Matura thesis. He noted that the bad habit often appears in summer and that the roosters are often less affected than the hens. It has also been found that active and skittish breeds in rearing are more prone to feather pecking than calm breeds. Feather pecking has often been observed in pedigree poultry with the change of juvenile plumage. The bloody quills encourage pecking, and sometimes the rump is also attacked. The prospective poultry judge could not identify a clear factor for the trigger of the feather pecking in his Matura thesis.
Employment Helps
Once feather pecking has started, it is very difficult to stop. A dynamic of its own develops in the herd. As practical tests by breeders have shown, it is not possible to get rid of the bad habit even if the animals are kept individually. For this purpose, the animals from a herd were kept individually in boxes for a few weeks. Within a short time after the reunion, individual animals were again affected by feather pecking. That is why preventive measures are better.
According to Giacometti’s findings, increased employment can help most breeders. Such an employment opportunity is a so-called «pick stone». It supports the metabolism, promotes bone formation, and even wears down the beaks. Such pecking stones usually contain minerals, the composition varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. They are available in larger buckets or in a round shape with a diameter of around 15 centimeters as well as brackets for practical wall mounting. Some herds eat up the pecking stones quickly, while others don’t start packing for months.
Access to the Run Also Helps
As a preventive measure, reducing the light intensity by means of darkened windows is also suitable. A reduction in barn temperature can have another positive effect. In any case, red radiant heaters should no longer be used at this age, and it may be possible to switch off the additional heat source entirely due to the weather. Increased humidity in the barn also has a positive effect on well-being.
It is particularly helpful to be able to go outdoors as soon as possible so that the animals can scratch as they please. If this is not possible, sufficient bedding in the stable will help. If the occupancy is too dense, a reduction in the stock or the installation of retreat options can help.
There are numerous tools available on the market to prevent feather pecking. How successful their use is could not be confirmed in practice. But it is questionable whether a spray can that gives off an unpleasant smell and taste is even effective for the chickens. After all, poultry has a good sense of touch, but not a pronounced sense of taste. This goes in a similar direction to the old breeder’s wisdom that the smell of wood tar or soft soap should discourage chickens from pecking. It would probably be effective to put on “glasses” that restrict the chickens’ field of vision. But for animal welfare reasons, this measure is not allowed in Switzerland.