Need some help with our girls

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Ok for the past couple of months we have had a problem with feather pecking with the chickens, we've checked the coop it's definately not mites, but it seems to have started when one of them had to be isolated when she hurt her leg, and that seems to have messed the pecking order up.

Perhaps we have been abit lax with them, but we have given it a couple of months to see if the problem would die down, it hasn't. There is no one culprit (?) they are all as bad as eachother, they are now bald on chests and around the back/tail area.

So what can we do? We had been looking at ideas and thinking but as we know little about why they are doing it would rather just ask straight out.

Rob and Sarahx

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

just so you know, if it helps, 4 girls large coop in a 12' x 8' run, fed mixture of corn & layers and fresh veg everyday, oyster shell supplements, regular treats of pasta, fruit etc.

All of them are still laying, it hasn't effected that, skin looks dry though in patches.

They have managed to scrape all the turf off but are being given turf that we have got from the front garden on a daily basis so that they have grass as well as salad bits.

R&S

[Gert]

Hi
I must admit, I'm slightly baffled by this one. Normally I would blame excessive feather pecking on boredom and/or lack of grass or soil to turn over.
I've spoken to a few other smallholders around me about it and the general consensus, is that once they've got a taste for it it's difficult to stop them.
I don't know your setup, but if you can move the run onto fresh grass that might help. You can buy a spray that you can put on them which apparently tastes revolting and puts them off pecking each other. Apologies I don't know the name of it, but will try and find out for you.

For future reference, if you have to remove one hen but intend to put her back, then ideally she needs to go somewhere that they can still see each other and this should keep the pecking order as it was.

Sorry, I can't offer a better solution.

Gert

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Thanks for that Gert, we did actually find some of that spray, god it's terrible, had to keep getting my washing in off the line everytime the wind changed directions for the couple of days after we used it!!! But it seems to have done the trick, feathers are starting to grow back, so we are going to treat them again tonight, and close all the windows it was so bad, even the cats wouldn't go outside.


Sarah & Rob

[Gert]

it was so bad, even the cats wouldn't go outside.

My god , i didn't realise it was that strong Best of luck with it, let us know how you get on.

Gert