Help! Chickens eating each other!

[Weeg]

You can also add bordure busters, if there space isn't the issue. Here is an article that has lots of boredom buster ideas- https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-complete-list-of-boredom-busters.76129/

 

[Weeg]

Sorry it’s a little messy rn I’m cleaning up.View attachment 2510428View attachment 2510429View attachment 2510430

Messy is fine actually. It gives the birds places to escape one another, and hide. Looks like they have plenty of space. Hmmm, I think the issue is that you just need to give them the whole meat bird feed, and nothgin else. There protein is probably being diluted, and mixing the feeds isn't giving them enough protein.

 

[Doperooster]

Don't mix it. Jus give them the 22% protein meat bird feed. Mixing it won't help. What was the protein % of the original feed? What do you feed other the then there commercial food.

They original feed was 16%. I give them leftovers and some chicken treats from the feed store that’s all.

 

[sourland]

They have plenty of space in that run. This is a bad habit that started while they were kept in worse circumstances. I would put Pin Less Peepers on the aggressive birds. They can eventually be removed, and sometimes the bad habit is broken. If they start up feather plucking after this, I would put them in the soup pot. Good luck.

 

[Weeg]

They original feed was 16%. I give them leftovers and some chicken treats from the feed store that’s all.

Got it. So you are mixing the meat bird feed, (22%) and the original feed, (16%). Its fine to just give them the whole 22% feed without mixing, that will hopeful solve the issue. Since they are eating the feathers, that makes me think for sure it is a protein deficiency.

 

[Weeg]

They have plenty of space in that run. This is a bad habit that started while they were kept in worse circumstances. I would put Pin Less Peepers on the aggressive birds. They can eventually be removed, and sometimes the bad habit is broken. If they start up feather plucking after this, I would put them in the soup pot. Good luck.

I personally don't like Pinless Peepers. I don't think that putting something in a chicken nostril is very safe or humane, they could be used as a last resort though.

 

[Painted Calls]

Letting chickens pluck each other to death isn't humane either.

 

[sourland]

I personally don't like Pinless Peepers. I don't think that putting something in a chicken nostril is very safe or humane, they could be used as a last resort though.

I am not a fan either, but the choices are limited. This is most likely not a nutrition problem. It is a learned bad habit. Pin Less Peepers sure beats an immediate trip to the freezer, and they sometimes work to break the habit.

 

[Ab1010]

I would separate all of the pecking ones individually. They will continue to peck where they see blood. A little chicken dress would useful. Try giving them suet treats or chicken blocks to scratch at. Maybe it would give them something more interesting to peck at

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't see much in the way of clutter that would create hiding places for chickens to escape from one another in your setup.

Can you use pallets, straw bales, concrete blocks, or even over-turned plastic lawn furniture to create nooks and sight barriers so that all the chickens can't see each other all the time?