Plucking bum issue?!?

[RunningFree]

I have 2 hens that constantly got around plucking other hens bottoms! this is a habit they got into at a young age, as they have plenty of shell and grit in their diet. I have tried anti peck spray, beak bits, and nothing seems to be working! Please help, I feels awful them getting bald!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Feather picking can start from not having enough protein in the diet, boredom, cramped quarters, mites and eventually a habit. And it is hard to break habits.

Make sure they are on a very good diet. A good feed. If you have to, change their diet to another brand. Add some gamebird food to their feed as well. This will up the protein too. Make sure they have enough room in the coop and run. Birds that are cramped get bored and pick at each other. Give them things to do...hanging veggies or cabbages, seed pecking blocks or a flake of alfalfa hay. Get them out to free range.

Check them over for mites too. External bugs can have them picking at each others butts.

If all else fails, if these were my birds, I would put pinless peepers on these birds for months on end until they forgot about picking butts. I have a hen that wears pinless peepers occasionally for own issues. The birds won't be able to pick butts with pinless peepers on and if you keep them on long enough, hopefully they will forget. If one of them goes back to picking butts, you can put the peepers on this particular bird

Good luck with your hens. Habits are hard to break in chickens, but don't give up yet!

 

[RunningFree]

Thanks TwoCrows

 

[gander007]