Still having a serious problem now with feather picking and eating

[chickenalia]

I mentioned elsewhere (in my introduction from Wales Uk) that i was having a single hen picking feathers and eating them. Now my other 3 chickens are naked on the hind quarters and rump (effect no knickers on). It is one girl creating the havoc she seems to do it in passing, not aggressively, but it is all her sisters(4 bluebelles) who are getting naked from it. Do you think if i seperate her it will help? I can put her o/side during the day and put her in a seperate inner pen at night, will it make her crazy to be on her own? I have been feeding extra protein as dried catfood (wiskas) which they all like, fruit,salading,(they love radishes) and custard leftovers. They have a cabbage every two days which when gone is replaced with another, for pecking fun. They are on layers pellets and a handful of mixed corn in the afternoon, water is plentiful and fresh and they forage a patch of penned in grass during the day. I would have said ideal conditions, only one step from freedom of the whole garden. Any help will be greatly appreciated as I expect the next step with proud Cis (my errant chicken) is she will draw blood and then I will have to take action I would rather not. All her peckings at the moment are clean and blood free.

Any further ideas. I don't want to put aprons on the other 3 girls I want Proud Cis to stop it.

 

[Judy]

I would probably separate her for a week or so, to rearrange the pecking order. I don't know whether it will help or not. She may just end up taching the others to do it. Maybe you can get some new ideas here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697052/i-think-i-found-a-miracle-cure-for-feather-picking/0_20

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/517547/peepers-removed-and-no-feather-picking-d/0_20#post_6586027

 

[chickenalia]

put her on her own for a bit, the others wanted and one did make a bid for freedom when they saw her outside the pen...funny to see. I am feeding her extra protein, some fresh salmon i had over (loved that) and some cat food. Will see how she goes. Thankyou flockwatcher i have looked at the info, I am just deciding if she is a hopeless case or in need of something more in her life.

 

[chickenalia]

I have put her on her own for 3 days. I fed her some salmon I had, she loved it, having started her day off today with the flock (if you can call 4 birds a flock) and have watched her most of the time. She hasn't offered to peck one feather.....I think it was some sort of protein deficiency, I was expecting that to be the least problem. I am amazed.. I will leave her with the girlies for another day to see what happens, but it looks as if I may have solved her pecking and eating feathers problem.