Hens pecking chicken bare

[ladychick328]

Good morning,
I am at a loss of what to do about my chickens with no feathers! They have plenty of room over (about 15sq ft per chicken or more when in the coop & run), i have been feeding meat bird feed with the higher protein mixed with laying pellets, black oil sunflower seeds, scratch, and all of the normal left over snacks at times and they get to free range at least a couple of hours a day, even longer on the weekend when we are home. I have moved 2 hens (suspects) to my father in laws, i have culled 2 hens (culprits) and i have left saddle on the ones with no feathers all for over a month, i have since taken them off so they can dust properly and now the feathers that were growing are gone!!! It helped a few of them but i still have about 4-5 chickens with bare backs. I have sprayed them with a black powder for dogs to cover up the pink back, it didnt help (washed right off), i have now put gentian violet on the ones with bare back to cover them in purple hoping that will help some. I have one barred rock that i have seen personally when they are all dusting pluck feathers from the back. I have 2 silkie roosters but neither of them are rough with the hens. I can cull the barred rock, but i really hate to keep culling them. My husband said to just cull them all and start over i dont want to do that. Does anyone have any other suggestions? i plan on separating the barred rock this weekend in with the mama hen and babies so i can keep an eye on them.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Eliminate all the treats. No scratch no BOSS. Adding that to your feed dilutes the protein content.

 

[aart]

They have plenty of room over (about 15sq ft per chicken or more when in the coop & run),

How much room in each separately? Dimensions and pics would help to assess situation.

i have been feeding meat bird feed with the higher protein mixed with laying pellets, black oil sunflower seeds, scratch, and all of the normal left over snacks at times

That's a complicated diet.
What are the meat bird feed and the layer feed protein percentages?
Are you measuring the ratio of the mix to get to a certain protein level?
How much scratch and BOSS are they getting?
Are all these foods mixed together ....or....?

Have had bare back/butt birds before, they won't feather back in until a molt, sometimes they are 'self pickers'. The red skin on butts maybe from 'urate burn' form loose poops...how are their poops?
Some birds just have 'weak feathers' that break easily when mounted or picked.
How old are all these birds?

 

[chickens really]

Definitely a change in feed and the management of the Birds. Once pecking starts it's hard to control.

 

[50-45-1]

Feather picking starts for a variety of reasons. Over crowding, boredom and somtimes nutritonal defeciencies. Ones you have it started it can be difficult to stop.
How many chickens do you have all together and how much space do they have when they are not free ranging?
You may have to reduce the flock to a reasonable size to fit the avaliable space if overcrouded. Or increase there run size.
However the feather picker will continue where ever you rehome her.
If they are all picked you probably have more than one.
I rescued six 3 year old production hens last fall and got one feather picker in the bargin.
For 13 dollars i purchased 24 chicken blinders and the tool to put them on from Amazon. After my Bad Girl wore the blinders for a month and the others had grown feathers back past the pin feather stage, the blinders came off, and so far so good.

 

[ladychick328]

Only the Meat bird 22% protein and laying pellets 16% are actually mixed together and put in the feeder. The BOSS and scratch are fed just by throwing some on the ground when i put them up from free ranging. I have 13 chickens in the run/coop and the run is 32feet long by 16 feet wide and the coop is 8x10 raised coop.

 

[aart]

Only the Meat bird 22% protein and laying pellets 16% are actually mixed together and put in the feeder. The BOSS and scratch are fed just by throwing some on the ground when i put them up from free ranging. I have 13 chickens in the run/coop and the run is 32feet long by 16 feet wide and the coop is 8x10 raised coop.

That all sound great...no problems I can see.