It can be one of the less attractive aspects of chicken keeping. No-one likes a bully, and seeing one of your favourites being pecked for no apparent reason can change the way you feel about the chicken(s) who are doing the pecking.

Although the chicken being pecked on probably wouldn’t agree, especially if things have turned nasty, it is a normal part of chicken life.

Feather pecking is a behavioral issue and gentle feather pecking is often taken to be normal investigatory behavior where the feathers of the victim are hardly disturbed.

You may have noticed some of this investigatory pecking happening to you, perhaps with shoelaces, or toes (best not to wear sandals) being pecked as you were standing near them – I’ve been a little more careful bending over near since receiving a peck on my bottom whilst I was squatting which made me lose my balance into a deposit nearby. Those kinds of pecks don’t really hurt, your chickens are just exploring what is around them.

Severe pecking on the other hand may involve grasping and even pulling out of some feathers. This is of course painful to the receiving bird and its end results could be trauma of the skin or bleeding. Then the redness of the skin or blood if the pecking was particularly severe itself becomes attractive to them and can escalate into everyone joining in…and chickens can be pretty relentless…

…so much so it can end in death.

Usually, feather pecking starts on the back feathers and with time it progresses to the tail and then eventually throughout the body. It can happen when they are roosting at night as well as during the day when they are out and about, but the reasons for it can vary.

Causes Of Feather Pecking

The possibility of a nutritional deficiency is one of the first things to be considered. Hens are used to ground pecking, scratching and foraging for food. However, often domestic hens are kept in an enclosed environment that is usually relatively barren and so will have restricted foraging opportunities. More than that, the feed they get is nutrient dense and can be consumed in a few minutes compared to the hours it would have taken in normal foraging time to find insects or worms.

Feathers have protein in them (and also require protein to grow back) and so if you notice that the feathers are actually being eaten that may mean that they are plucking at the feathers and then eating them because of their instinct to get more protein into their diet.

At least that is how it may have started, once these sorts of behaviours have begun they can become a habit for them if we are not careful.

Boredom is another explanation offered as to why hens peck at each other. When the weather is bad or they generally are penned in a small area for whatever reason, the activity of the hens such as foraging and dust bathing are limited. And in efforts to break boredom, the hens can start to peck at each other.

Finding interesting ways to serve their food and treats so that they can still do some foraging can be more entertaining for them (and you to watch).

Consider hanging a cabbage or some leaves of kales or a cob of maize slightly above their heads so that they are able to jump and peck at it. Adding a ladder in their cage or some roosts etc. for them to clamber about on and perch could also help keep them more occupied.

When the housing of your hens starts to feel a bit cramped, then there are high chances that they may start feather pecking. Crowding increases stress levels in poultry and as has already been mentioned, hens love to forage and scratch and peck the ground. If there is not enough room for them to do this, then the chances of a pecking war breaking out increases.

Hens also love to lay their eggs in dark and secluded areas rather than in direct light. Hens will fight for the favorable nests, and it may add to problem if there are too few nests or too few that are nicely secluded and scuffling for nest boxes could potentially lead to broken eggs and egg eating.

Having said that though, even with plenty of perfectly good nests you will often find them all trying to cram themselves into the same one or two favourite ones, but still it is something to bear in mind, if you find you are having thoses kinds of problems.

To reduce and manage feather pecking, ensure that :

• You feed your hens a balanced diet packed with all the necessary nutrients (if feeding scratch it should be only as a treat).
• You select less flighty hen breeds if they are not going to be able to free-range regularly.
• Your housing and husbandry meets all the needs and requirements of the hens in order to manage their stress levels.
• They are free of parasites – chickens might pull at their own feathers if they are feeling itchy.
  Around the vent and under the wings are key places to check.

Chicks that are being brought up by their mother hen will usually be out and about from just a few days old. She will take them out and show them how to peck for bugs and grass at a very young age and she may not be very careful about it (watching a mother hen and her chicks you will sometimes see her doing things that are ‘wrong’ such as leaving a chick behind, or leading them over wet grass).

For us human mother hens it is usually advisable not to be quite so slap dash about it. Chicks can enjoy being outside but they will need to be kept safe which means :

• A warm day which is dry underfoot – it is not good for chicks to get cold and wet and they need to be warm enough, very young chicks more so than the older ones. If they were out with their mother hen they could get under her feathers whenever they wanted to but you will need to watch them closely to check that they are happy and enjoying themselves. If they are chirping loudly then they probably want to go back in.

• A pen they can safely explore the world from – a secure pen, or dog crate etc. which can protect them from any predators (which may include your own pets). Even so, do not leave them unattended.

• Chick grit – their formulated chick feed doesn’t need anything extra but for anything else they might eat (bugs, grass etc.) they will need to have grit available to help them process it.

• Shade and water – they will need constant access to water whilst outside, and an area that is shaded from the sun and protected from the wind.

Chickens love to eat. They are like little pigs and the quickest way to get them to come running to you is to go out to them shaking your bag or rattling a box or whatever you use to give them regular treats. They will eat pretty much anything, but some favourites seem to be raisins (you may even be able to get them to jump for those!) and mealworms. Mine will literally do anything for mealworms and if you ever have trouble trying to get your girls (and boys) to go into their coop or pen my recommendation would be to try throwing in a few mealworms and see if that helps 🙂

Treats should ideally not make up any more than 10% of what they are eating throughout the day as their layers feed is what they really need. If you notice your egg numbers dropping, try reducing the treats you are giving and see if that helps. As with humans, healthy treats are obviously better for them. Chickens love corn but there is very little nutritional value in it so that would be one thing that could be given as an occasional treat (as opposed to a staple of their diet).

A nice treat on a hot day would be something like water melon (chilled in the fridge will give it extra coolness). I once gave mine some strawberries that were a little past their best and the chickens loved them but I got a bit of a fright when I saw gooey red blobs around the run and thought they were blood until I remembered the strawberries they had earlier in the day.

Incidentally, if they eat blueberries their poo will turn purple and beetroot will make it pink!

Enjoy finding out what your chickens like to eat, but avoid things that are salty, sugary and anything moldy. Here are a few specifc foods to avoid.

Whether you’ve purchased chicks as babies or your chickens have hatched their eggs, you are surely aware that your baby chicks are active, hungry, and a true joy…

…but they also have their quirks and idiosyncrasies.

One quirk many new chicken parents struggle with is that their hungry and excited chicks tap dance in their feed, poo in their water and kick litter and other shavings into their food and water feeders, causing them to clog.

You might wonder why chicks do this. It’s not exactly sanitary and you would think they might prefer to eat and drink without any of their added ‘ingredients’, but perching, scratching and pecking is their main enjoyment – it’s just kind of what they do.

Although scratching is a natural behavior for chickens, there are a few ways you can keep them from constantly requiring you to unclog their feeders.

It may be possible to prop the containers up off the ground in some way or perhaps suspend them. While your chicks are small enough, you can use a hamster-watering container for their water and mount it on a pole or wall. As your chickens grow, you can put the nipples from the hamster bottle on a larger container. You can also suspend feeders and watering containers from the ceiling with a chain or rope and raise them higher off the ground as your chickens grow.

It is also possible to purchase feeders and waterers specifically made for chicks which make it harder for them to get up to their usual tricks, and this is perhaps the best way to go if you can.

A ‘normal’ bowl will obviously give them access to feed and water but make it easy for them dirty and also quite likely cause the area around them to become damp (also unsanitary). Whilst these can work you do have to be particularly careful with water in bowls, as apart from the constant spills there is also quite a strong potential for accidental drowning (marbles in the bottom of the bowl may help reduce that risk but ideally a chick proof waterer would be better).

If you want to make your chicks work and keep their litter out of their food, get them a feeder with a roller bar on it. You’ll hear them cheeping away as they try to get to their food, but they won’t be kicking litter into it!

Most chickens manage cold well, but some breeds are especially well adapted to frosty conditions. Overall, chickens are heavily feathered and insulated against the cold.

The comb is the most sensitive part of the chicken and most likely to suffer cold damage. Frozen combs do not regenerate – it’s like dubbing. The experience is stressful for the chicken, so it’s best avoided. If your chickens have large single combs and they are exposed to temperatures below freezing, a coat of petroleum jelly on the comb can provide some protection. Choose a breed with a small rose, pea, cushion or strawberry comb instead.

A heat lamp in the coop, even a regular light bulb, can provide sufficient additional warmth to protect birds from damage. Chickens generate warmth with their own bodies, so more birds means more warmth.

Sometimes the biggest challenge is keeping the water from freezing. Electric water dishes are available. Make sure your chickens have fresh water available.

Chanteclers were developed as a Canadian breed and remain the only recognized Canadian breed. Their small, low, cushion combs are well suited to cold weather. They are good winter layers. They are big birds, cocks weighing more then 8 lbs and hens more than 6. When the last rooster being kept at the University of Saskatchewan died in 1979, the breed was declared extinct, but small flock owners across Canada and the U.S. had maintained them. The numbers were relatively low, and some breeders graded other breeds into their birds to strengthen them. Chanteclers are a modern composite breed, so they can also be re-created. As a result, there is some discussion about purity of the existing stock and whether birds come from original or re-created lines. You may determine for yourself to what extent you wish to be involved in that discussion.

Wyandottes were developed in New York State in the 1870s, another location known for cold winter weather. They feather out well and come in several colors. The Columbian color pattern acquired its name from the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, the Chicago World’s Fair, the year the pattern was introduced. It was accepted by the APA in 1905. They are a good dual purpose breed.

Dominiques, with their rose combs, are reliable and sturdy. They have a long American history going back to Colonial times, so they have survived many cold winters. They are good winter layers, good broody hens and good mothers.

Javas, a foundation breed that traces its roots to that Southeast Asian island, nevertheless do well in cold American weather.

Buckeyes are the only American breed credited to a woman, Mrs. Nettie Metcalf of Warren, Ohio. They are named for the Buckeye state and the Buckeye whose color they have. With their pea combs, they are well-suited to those cold Ohio winters and a good all-around breed.

Norwegian Jaerhons are a long established Scandinavian breed that was standardized in the 20th century breed. They are smaller, 5 lbs. for cocks and 3 ½ for hens, with attractive patterns. A good choice for a hardy dual purpose breed.

Faverolles are a French composite dual purpose breed that was developed for winter egg laying. Their eggs are light brown. They are hefty birds, with mature cocks weighing in at eight lbs. or more and hens at 7 lbs. They are the only breed with the Salmon color variety, a pattern of bright contrasting colors on the males and more demure brown and cream on the females.

White Dorkings are recognized as a rose comb variety. Other unrecognized Dorking varieties also have rose combs. SPPA president Craig Russell remembers the effects of an Arctic front that chilled his Pennsylvania farm several years ago. “The other chickens stopped laying the first day,” he said, “but the Dorkings went right on laying through that below-zero cold.”

Rhode Island Reds are recognized in a rose comb variety, and Rhode Island Whites have rose combs. Hamburgs are a rose-combed breed that has been known in the past as the “Dutch Everyday Layer.”

Icelandic chickens are the chickens of the Vikings, a landrace rather than a breed developed through selective breeding. They are small, almost banty size, but good winter layers of white eggs. . Their Icelandic name, Íslenka landnámshænan, means “Icelandic hen of the settlers.” They are long-lived, hardy foragers. The hens are good broodies. Their color patterns, combs and leg colors are not standardized and the breed is not recognized for exhibition. They are quite rare but would make a good choice for a cold climate flock. Behl Farm in Rochester, Illinois, 217-498-7522, has eggs available by mail. Chicks and adult birds may be purchased at the farm.

Kraienkoppes are another breed not included in the Standard that is winter-hardy and a good layer. Small, at around five or six pounds, they are good foragers that prefer some free range in their lives. Their history in The Netherlands and Germany explains their resilience in cold weather. They are rare but those who have them praise them.

Breeds with more feathers do better. Silkies, with their hair-like feathers, are subject to chill if their feathers get wet, but otherwise manage well in cold conditions. Keep an extra eye on them. Oriental Game breeds such as Malays and Shamos as a group may suffer in cold weather. Naked Necks, with about half the feathers of other breeds, nevertheless seem to fare fine in cold weather. To quote Mr. Russell, “Naked Necks are just tough chickens.”