I went away last week and when I came home 3/4 of my birds had their feathers pulled. I left them with a clean coop plenty of food and water ect. The coop is designed for the number of birds I have, and they always have access to a 40 square ft. run. I'm planning on putting more perches in the coop, but is there anything else I can do to stop them from tearing each other apart? Also my orpington doesn't have any feathers missing. Is she the culprit? And if she is what should I do with her?
Good observation! The one with the perfect plumage is probably the culprit. First thing to do is get her away from the others. You could try pinless peepers. There are so many different causes for feather picking, though, it's one of the hardest things to deal with. Have you noticed my thread on feather picking? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697052/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking Folks have contributed an awful lot of great information. You may find some answers.
