Unsecure chicken perches

[KimmyCustard]

I have 5 hybrids and have had them since March when they were about 16 weeks old. Marge was the first to feather peck the others, so we fitted a beak bit. We thought it was a space issue so OH extended the WIR by another 3m. Then Dotty went broody and started pulling feathers so she got a bit as well. Last week we saw Bubbles pulling feathers from Pixie whilst she was dust bathing. Bubbles now has a bit as well.

 

Pixie and Bertha have bald bums and a bare patch at the base of their tails and no amount of Ukadex or Gentian Violet spraying has stopped any feather pecking. I havent seen Pixie and Bertha feather pulling as yet but I think they are as their feathers havent grown back at all and sometimes their skin looks red, with a few more feathers missing.

 

They have a 16m x 6m WIR run, I hang sweetcorn and lettuce in the afternoons, they have perches and a big log to play on, plus an old wooden garden chair and loads of room to dust bathe. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can do now to stop them? I need to have the equivalent of dog toys filled with food so they can search for their food and thus leave each other alone but I dont want them to starve whilst we are out at work all day if one or two are getting more food than the others.

 

I'm at my wits end and have run out of ideas to stop them feather pulling! They seem happy, they are all laying every day, their combs are red and they all FR for about an hour a day and much longer when I'm off work and out in the garden with them . Can anyone help me please??

[sandyhas3chucks]

similar problem.. surrey air??

space not an issue?

have you got a bail of straw, for some to get up on and behind?

Might they be after the protein in the feathers?

I currently have these two separated through the day?

If you know who the culprits are might you partition the lovely size run for a while?

(just throwing out thoughts!)