Hi all,
thanks for your replies. its hard for me to answer your questions about the salt but the article that I have been forwarded reads as below:
[i][And if all else fails, you can use the Salt Cure outlined in the Wisconsin Experiment Station Bulletin #455. In it we are told to put 1 tablespoon of salt per gallon of water in the flocks water for just one morning. Replace with fresh water in the afternoon. Repeat in three days. This, plus the other remedies above should cure all feather picking.