New Member

I have been referring to this site for a while, and just now became a member. I love your website!

We are a family of 12, ten kiddos all ours and 21 chickens. A few years ago we moved to TN and tried our hand at chickens. It went fabulously with 33 chickens and we sold all our eggs every week. Our flocks were amazingly healthy and productive. After returning to MI, we started over with mostly RIR, a couple amber links, a couple black sex links, a couple Isa's and Leghorns for our own egg consumption. All was great. Clean birds with sweet temperaments! Just like in TN. But then a friend with backyard chickens in the city was told he'd have to get rid of his and so we took his in. As soon as they arrived I called a friend who has 70 chickens and she was happy for most of them. I kept three and their rooster, who seemed to be a gentleman. That was in October. Last week we started to notice one of his hens had a bare patch on her back, but was doing well. I figured the rooster was over using her and planned to separate her this weekend. We found her dead the next morning under the nesting boxes. No signs of any other issue. Now I notice some feathers off the neck of one of my own Isa's
And today I saw my leghorn had a very wet head and feathers missing on her neck. I just separated the rooster today. It is one rooster to 20 hens. I noticed a few spots of blood in the house, and smears on one of the leghorns but no sign of injury on anyone. Egg production is still great. I go between thinking it's the rooster and wondering about mites. I've never had trouble with mites before. The man who brought me his flock said they had treated for mites at their place. I see no mites. But why is the one hen just fuzzy on the top of her head and neck? Can the rooster be pulling out feathers on their heads? I've never personally seen him mount them, but the man said the rooster has caused some to loose their back feathers before. Wish I was an expert! Wish I had never taken in the other chickens since mine were so great before. Any help would be appreciated!

Good intro! Sounds like you are enjoying your family and chickens!

I too have had to get rid of some chickens Not the most fun experience!

Your bird could very well be being bullied. Or she could be molting. Make sure you feed all the chickens foods with lots of protein such as mealworms, quinoa, eggs and oatmeal. You may also want to post here for more info
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures

Good luck and glad you joined our flock!

Welcome to BYC!

I don't have a rooster but from what I've read here, a roo can cause the type of injury you are describing. I guess they pick some favorite hens from the flock and over-do it.

It was a good idea to separate the rooster. Unless you want baby chicks, there isn't really a need for one. Some people say they protect their flock but I believe the need for that would depend on how you keep your chickens (free-range vs. covered run).

Good luck with your birds, hope things settle down for you!

Taking in someone else's birds, you never know what you are getting. They could be harboring worms, mites, disease etc. Can you separate the rooster from the flock for a couple days or so, to see if you are finding any more blood or plucked chickens.?

Welcome to BYC!

I have separated the rooster so we will see what I have in the next couple days. I thought more likely the rooster because 1) the drops if blood I didn't think would come from a mite issue 2) the heads of two leghorns were very wet and one missing feathers between this morning and this afternoon 3) the fuzzy missing feather look on the side of neck of another of his regulars. It's quite cold in MI and I thought mites weren't a problem in the winter, although our hen house is lightly warmed an we have a clear roof for bright sunlight. I use pine shavings on the dirt for their house and mix in diamaticious earth in the shavings. I feed pellets and scratch and shells and lots of good food such as squashes, cabbages and pumpkins and regular whole grain sourdough breads, plus our normal leftovers.

Glad you joined us!

Hello and welcome from north Georgia

Welcome to BYC! We're glad to have you.