Any advice on chickens picking each other's butts

[rosemarythyme]

So there's no weather proofed run for the birds to use it year round? How about some photos of the set up? How many birds do you actually have, 60?

Space for 60 birds implies a 600 sq ft weather protected run and a 240 sq ft coop, or a 480 sq ft coop to compensate for winter boredom. Picking is almost always caused by either boredom due to lack of space, lack of things to do, or nutritional imbalance - in this case it sounds like both spce and nutrition could be factors.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Canada is vast and has many variable climates, a coast or province would be helpful to know if you are snowy or rainy or both
- a fellow Canadian, in ontario

 

[U_Stormcrow]

OK, so you are cold - that's good, chickens tend to eat more when its cold - and you have no idea what you are feeding your birds, except in the most general of terms. That I can't help with.

Your grain mix is across the board deficient because the highest protein grains barely make the minimum crude protein levels for adult hens, and the amino acid profile is imbalanced - because there are almost not complete proteins in the plant world. The closes, and most popular, is soy - which isn't part of most "grain mixes". WIthout knowing your protein mix, I can't guess at whether it compensates for the grain deficiencies or not - or begin to guess at what vitamins you may be low on as well.

Flax (linseed) has a good AA profile and is moderately high protein, but its recommended inclusion rates are very low due to antinutritive properties. Linseed, for instance, is known to interfere with B6 uptake. Its Met levels are only moderate, not enough to compensate for much larger quantities of yoru other ingredietns. Peas are good for Lysine and Threonine, but are very low (relatively) in Met, roughly only halfway between the best and the worst of the wheats. I think you mentioned oats, you can ignore those, they aren't helping except as an energy source. Barley is tons of fiber (not great) good Lys and Thre, again low Met.

So, at a guess, you are very low on Met, the amino acid used for connective tissues and protein building, you are likely low on B6, your crude protein levels overall may be low, and your tryptophan is likely borderline. I can't guess at the other minerals and vitamins at like, ylike your source of non-plant Phoshorus.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and unless I misunderstood one of your other posts, your 100 sq ft of space contains roughly 20 hens and two roosters, where they are all contained 24/7 at present. That's not enough space. You have both the feather picking and the two roos showing aggression (which, honestly, can happen when you have acres, as I do, but is more common as space becomes constrained.)

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and again, I'm just jawboning based on what I hope I have indicated are assumptions about the content of your feed mix, the conclusions that can be drawn from known ingredient values, and what little I know of chicken behaviors (less about space constrained flocks).

The above is an opinion (a reasonable and well considered one, I hope), but not an expert diagnosis, based on the factors you've offered for consideration. Its meant to help, not to attack your method of animal keeping.

 

[LhickenChicken]

No, not like that- I have the roos in different spaces. There are 20 hens and one roo in GP and one roo and 3 hens in a different space where I have my chick brooder and my rabbit hutches, and that's another 100 or more square feet. So the "other side" is for a seperation area for injured or rejected hens. Or when I need to integrate chicks.
this is my first time with chickens.

 

[LhickenChicken]

OK, so you are cold - that's good, chickens tend to eat more when its cold - and you have no idea what you are feeding your birds, except in the most general of terms. That I can't help with.

Your grain mix is across the board deficient because the highest protein grains barely make the minimum crude protein levels for adult hens, and the amino acid profile is imbalanced - because there are almost not complete proteins in the plant world. The closes, and most popular, is soy - which isn't part of most "grain mixes". WIthout knowing your protein mix, I can't guess at whether it compensates for the grain deficiencies or not - or begin to guess at what vitamins you may be low on as well.

Flax (linseed) has a good AA profile and is moderately high protein, but its recommended inclusion rates are very low due to antinutritive properties. Linseed, for instance, is known to interfere with B6 uptake. Its Met levels are only moderate, not enough to compensate for much larger quantities of yoru other ingredietns. Peas are good for Lysine and Threonine, but are very low (relatively) in Met, roughly only halfway between the best and the worst of the wheats. I think you mentioned oats, you can ignore those, they aren't helping except as an energy source. Barley is tons of fiber (not great) good Lys and Thre, again low Met.

So, at a guess, you are very low on Met, the amino acid used for connective tissues and protein building, you are likely low on B6, your crude protein levels overall may be low, and your tryptophan is likely borderline. I can't guess at the other minerals and vitamins at like, ylike your source of non-plant Phoshorus.

All right, I FINALLY deciphered what you said by pronouncing everything.

 

[Mrs. K]

Mostly when you start having problems, you have to change something. Which seems self evident, but generally people want to resist it. They just want the birds to be nice to each other...and they won't, unless you change it.

Things that help:
As mentioned - adequate and good quality feed. Once years ago, I was in contact with a show breeder, and I asked him what he fed his birds - expecting an exotic recipe. Nope, he went with a good commercial feed. I do too.

Not just space, but how that space is set up. A lot of places where birds can get away from each other. Roosts, platforms, mini walls can really help. Out of sight is out of mind.

Parasites - especially if tightly confined or completely confined. What do you have for dust bathing? If you got them, don't waste your time on home remedies, get the pesticides but FOLLOW the directions.

Pin - less peepers can help with over crowded birds.

And some birds just will not work in your flock, if you can identify them and remove them sometimes that will help the best.

Mrs K

 

[U_Stormcrow]

All right, I FINALLY deciphered what you said by pronouncing everything.

Apologies, my typing sucks.

 

[LhickenChicken]

Apologies, my typing sucks.

No, I'm just not a feed expert.