What a great response! Thank you all so much for the welcome and the ideas.
I don't think it's boredom. The kids are in to visit often, they free-range for a couple of hours here and there and, as well as kitchen scraps, they get the bug-infested remains from my organic garden to pick through...
The bald spots have been bald since late spring! I really don't want to de-beak my girls - or Roosti, but I am afraid they might have developed a bad habit that is going to cause them real harm in the winter. They are such a happy little band otherwise - there has been the odd cut but they...
My hubs, kids (5 & 7) and I got some day old chicks last August. We love 'em! And they did really well until April when bald spots began to appear on their backs. They eat layer rations, have a decent sized run with tree and a big rock from which to survey their world, household scraps and...