feather pecking and beak clipping

[redstarray]

hello i posted a / yesterday and dident get a hole lot of advice once again im new not sure how all this works so here goes i have 12 hens in a large run there bottoms are all bare and some of ther backs i treated for mite with the powder the guy at the feed store gave me bought a feeding bock bathed them for mites put black salve on there bare spots and switched to turky feed as the guy at the feed store suggested and gave them oyster shells the problem is NOT getting any better do i call a vet out to trim there beaks ???? im not sure wut to doany advice is greatly appriciated

 

[Lesa]

Are they molting? This could be normal feather loss, due to a molt. Do you see them feather pecking? Are they crowded? Beak trimming is usually used in commercial chickens houses, where crowding is a problem...Good luck! Perhaps others will have some ideas.

 

[redstarray]

they mite be over crowded they used to roam and be cooped at nite but weve had several rattlers so i had to put them in an old dog run i put a hen house in there and two old cat perches for nesting boxes its quit cute for chickens but ive seen them peck at each others behind so i may try and build another pen if i need to i thought a 12x12 was big enough so i had read that if they turn to pecking and cannablisism u have to debeak or clip the beak i dont know much about it but i dont want to loose the whole flock

 

[Lesa]

Is there anyway you could attach another enclosed run area, to that 12x12? I would say if they are turning to pecking or cannibalism, they need more room- not to be debeaked. JMO Good luck!

 

[Miyashi]

I agree.
Getting the blue-kote on their raw spots is a good idea though....deters them a bit.
More room would most certainly be a plus from the way it sounds.
Try giving them some scratch and other things to distract them until you can figure something out maybe?
Chickens are suckers for distractions.