PINFEATHERS

Pinfeathers are the pinlike tips of emerging feathers that appear when a chick first feathers out and again whenever a chicken undergoes a molt. Pinfeathers contain a supply of blood to nourish the growing feather (hence their other name, blood feathers) and therefore invite cannibalistic picking, especially around the tail and along the back, at a time when molting chickens crave additional protein. Once feathers are fully formed, the feathers’ blood supply is cut off, reducing the desire of chickens to pick one another’s feathers.