Twenty-two years ago, when I only had EELs, was my first experience with feather picking which escalated to cannibalism. I tried all kinds of things to try to get the birds from feather picking each other-among them several varieties of weed (Western Ragweed, Butternsneeze weed, Horound ) teas which I would dip/soak the birds in. It didn’t stop any feather picking!
One evening after returning from work, one of the pullets had half of her rump eaten off. Then I decided it was time to debeak the birds like the commercial layer operations. I purchased a dog toe nail clippers to do the job. The birds squirted blood for a little while but soon quit. We didn’t loose any and that totally stopped the cannibalism and feather picking. However it also prevented the debeaked birds from picking grass/plants. I DO NOT recommend debeaking, also that is a disqualification for showing!
The next year the same problem was occurring, when I had a customer tell me, that putting Vaseline/petroleum jelly and powdered Sulfur on the birds would put a stop to feather picking. Neither Vaseline nor powdered Sulfur will work on its own. It takes the combination of the two! The Vaseline needs to be worked into the feathers on the bird’s back at the base of their tail, then sprinkle the powdered Sulfur on-working it into the Vaseline feathers. Normally one time treatment is enough to persuade the birds that feathers don’t taste good enough to eat anymore! If you are going to show your birds, feather picking MUST be stopped very early in the bird’s development. #1. They can’t be shown all pecked up. #2. The Sulfur will discolor the bird’s plumage. It CAN NOT be put on the set of feathers that the show bird will be shown in! Normally they are ready to be shown in their 3rd set of feathers.
Last year we had one house to pick each other but they were quickly stopped with the Vaseline/Sulfur. This year we have a pen that is being more determined to keep picking. They were treated early-stopped-then started again. I’m trying some new things since most of the birds are in their 3rd set of feathers. We butcher many of the cockerels and any cull pullets. The feathers are being put out free choice near the birds pens so they can eat them when they are turned out each morning. Also any fresh rabbit or squirrel found on road dead is skinned and put out for the feather picking birds to eat.
If you try the Vaseline/Sulfur take off any Silver jewelry as it will be tarnished-black, which will polish off. Keep the Sulfur out of your eyes and bird’s eyes. It can cause eye infections in the birds and it does burn. If any of the young birds have an eye problem after being Vaseline/Sulfur treated-eye drops will help them.
Prevention is the best when it comes to feather picking! Don’t over crowd your chicks and raise them in small groups. Let your birds free range when they are old enough to be turned out and the weather permits. Feed high fiber products like oats and grass along with their feed. Early in the Spring when the winter grasses are young and tender-I will pull a bucket of it to give to the young chicks. Later in the Summer the young chicks will get Crab grass. We use Bermuda grass hay for a light covering on the cement floors in our brooder houses. Its amazing how much of it the birds will eat when they get several weeks of age. Most of the birds that we show will be individually caged. I have yet to see a bird harvest it’s own feathers!
