Preventing your hens from feather pecking

Animal welfare advisor Jess Stokes explains what you need to consider to prevent feather pecking in your flock.

What causes feather pecking?

The susceptibility of birds to feather pecking depends on a range of variables in their environment. To prevent it, the key areas to focus on are:

• maintaining dry friable litter for all hens to dustbathe and forage in
• maximising ranging behaviour
• preventing sudden stressors (such as disease outbreaks)
• ensuring optimal nutrition
• choosing calm, robust breeds that range well (some breeds may be more prone to injurious pecking)
• Enriching housing, especially if birds are kept indoors (ie during bad weather

 

Get to know your pullet rearer

All these factors need to be considered to prevent a problem establishing during the rearing phase. If you don’t rear your own pullets, it is important to have a good working relationship with your pullet rearer.

If possible, try to visit your hens at the rearer’s facility so you can familiarise yourself with their first environment and can match these arrangements as much as possible, in order to minimise change for the birds. Ensure pullets are uniform in weight and in optimum health before arrival on your holding.

Dry litter is vital to prevent feather pecking

Maintaining dry friable (easily crumbled) litter throughout lay is possibly the single most important thing you can do to prevent a feather pecking outbreak. This should be provided in the form of straw (preferably chopped) or untreated wood shavings from untreated timber. In addition to this, it’s important to review the stocking densities of the housing, and the timings of when the birds are released from their houses.

Hens need optimal nutrition and consistent housing

Alterations to the feeding regime and accommodation to sudden changes in the weather or housing environment can also be a trigger. Ensure diets provide optimal nutrition with required balanced levels of essential amino acids and sodium levels. When you have to make a change to the diet always make the change gradual by mixing feed correctly.

Encouraging your hens to range

Hens that range properly are far less likely to feather peck, but hens will not range unless they feel confident to do so. Well-placed overhead cover will help provide security from aerial predation. Providing trees or rotating your hens around orchards is conducive for effective ranging. Management makes all the difference to ensure confident and extensive use of the range. Some producers use cover crops which create additional foraging opportunities and protein. Artificial shelters can also be placed in strategic locations, such as just outside the house or in a clearing further afield. These shelters have the added benefit of dustbathing opportunities outside.

For further information on how to manage and monitor feather pecking please visit www.assurewel.org/hens and www.featherwel.org.