I would like to speculate about the feather picking. Since I have a large flock of 100 and am experiencing increasingly aggressive behavior and lots of picking. I have read numerous responses and believe that there is not a single answer or solution. I have also tried all of the suggestions to no avail. I speculate first that it is normal chicken behavior and it is learned early. Chicks will pick the fluff off of each other, but that behavior will not be as pronounced under a red tinted heat lamp and if all the chicks are of one pronounced color. If the chicks are crowded and / or the litter is not cleaned often the early fluff is in the litter and they learn to eat the fluff early. If you are like me, and notice weaker chicks among the new flock they will be subject to more picking by the others. Some new chicken farmer, out of a desire to see all the new chicks survive do not yet appreciate the need to cull early. Simply seperating my not be feasible due to lack of equipment. It happens quickly. A chick smothered or night, or weakened by slow learning curve to water or food makes them slower, weaker and therefore more vulnerable. Even if it is not excessive picking, they learn to eat the fluff early as a part of their diet and will learn that picking the weaker ones, or even the smaller ones, will yield a good mouth of fluff. Then at any stage of growth, crowding, dirty litter,boredom, curiosity, and the development of a pecking order builds the habit. Solution, likewise, is not an easy one. As soon as possible get those young chickens out of their small confined areas where their curiosity is challenged. Give the victims pleanty of places to hide when coming out from their sleeping roost. Picking seems more severe early in the morning especially when there's no place to run away.. Introduce new bird in a cage. When you see the established birds laying next to the cage it's safe to let them out. I'll stop here with this addition and see what people say.
