Welcome to the challenge of conditioning Ameraucanas for show. Once they get into that nasty habit of picking the beard feathers it is very difficult to break it. I try to pen my show birds seperately, though that is sometimes impossible depending on the number of birds involved. It starts by them getting the muffs and beards wet in the drinker, then going to the feeder and having feed stick to the wet muff feathers. Chickens are crazy about wet mash. They see the feed and pick at it, but before long they are pulling and eating entire feathers. Usually this vice gets started when the birds are penned up and getting bored. If your birds are penned and/or overcrowed, try hanging heads of cabbage or lettuce up where they can pick at them suspended just above their heads. It will entertain them and help prevent boredom. Also, I think it helps somewhat to keep the pens clean and provide pans of sand or dirt if they are on concrete or wood. These are ideas that might help, but no guarantees. As if it were not already difficult enough to produce show quality birds, right? The more birds we raise, the more of a challenge the conditioning part plays. The challenges don\'t just add up, they seem to multiply.
