I, Farm Boy! Fowls' Access To Greens Will Stop Feather Pecking Last week, I noticed that many of the hens and roosters in my breeding pens were losing a lot of their neck and back feathers. This is a common problem when the fowls are confined and the stress level is high inside the pens. Also, this is an indication of lack of nutrients in the feeds which the chicken would like to have. Unless addressed right away, this could lead to cannibalism because once they cause a wound on each other's bod