Picking

Other Names

• feather picking
• vent picking
• cannibalism


Organism or Mechanism

• Insufficient protein.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Bright light.
• Excessive egg size.
• Excessive group size.
• Stress, boredom, and elevated levels of ammonia


Preventative Measures

• Paint windows red or darken with burlap bags.
• Reduce lighting intensity.
• Scatter whole grains, bales of hay or corn stover in pens, alfalfa and hay in nets.
• Avoid large egg size by reducing levels of linoleic acid (flaxseed) and high energy when hens do not need it.
• Spend time in chick brooder early on.
• Use non-hybrid, docile breeds.
• Maintain vigilance and isolate bullies and treat the injured.
• Increase time spent feeding.
• Ensure a balanced diet.
• Provide loose feed.
• Prevent parasites.
• Avoid Stress.
• Select breeds suited to free-range conditions.
• Avoid over-crowding.
• Provide pumpkins to peck, however this may cause very pale yolks.


Management Treatments

• Same as preventative treatments


Physical Treatments

• Apply Stockholm Tar to picked area.
• Apply Bitter Apple, Listerine to picked area.
• Give 1-tsp. salt/gal drinking water in AM, then fresh PM and repeat three days later.


Nutritional Treatments
 
• Provide mangels, cabbage, lettuce, or burlap bags of barley hung from the ceiling.
• Nail a piece of raw salt pork with a good rind on the wall.
• Hang cabbages or bunches of nettles.
• Scatter whole grains, bales of hay or corn stover in pens, alfalfa and hay in nets.
• Avoid large egg size by reducing levels of linoleic acid (flaxseed) and high energy when hens do not need it.
• Ensure hens are receiving enough lysine, methionine and threonine in diet.
• Increase fiber content of ration with oats, add manganese sulphate to ration, add vitamin pack to ration.
• Hang bagged leafy alfalfa.


Herbal Treatments
 • Feed comfrey.


Homeopathic Treatments
 • Helleborus niger