Hello all, Today I went out to my coop and saw that my production red had a completely bare butt.I have read many other threads that say to cull the bird that is picking at her, but my guess is that she is picked on at night when they are getting onto the roost. I have no idea who the culprit is and don't have another flock for my poor bird to join or a place for her to be alone. I have heard of people putting ointment on birds. Any inexpensive products that you have heard of/used or have any other idea what I should do? She is a bird that screams when she is alone and I hate to separate her from the flock. PLEASE HELP Thanks! Anna
You can separate the bird that is picking at her There are some products on the market like Pick No More that is supposed to help with picking problems (supposed to taste bad). This is also a good cover up/antiseptic of bare spots where the hen has been picked. Blu-Kote can also be used. These are temporary fixes, though, you need to find out why the picking is going on. If the picking is occurring at night, then you may want to evaluate how much roosting space you have. Adding another roosting bar so they have more room may be helpful. Keep them busy during the day, hang fruits/veggies for them to pick at, add perches in your run, give them piles of leaves/pine needles/dirt to dig through, busy chickens don't have much time for picking at each other. Check her over for any lice/mites. Watch to see if the others are eating the feathers that are plucked - if so you need to increase protein in their diet. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/03/chicken-feather-loss-cannibalism-causes.html
