bald patches

[bigbum1984]

My dominant hen has lots of bald patches, above and below her tail all round her bum and belly. The skin looks perfectly normal and new feathers are starting to come through, its just the amount of feathers she's lost I'm worried about. Her sisters have't lost any yet, i know they moult but is this normal, she didn't moult this much last year. I do have a male in with them and he does mate with her when he can but otherwise he's scared of her

 

[Wyandottes7]

Its probably nothing to worry about. Molting chickens often look terrible, but they will become their normal pretty self in a few months. Your rooster may be pulling out some of her feathers, but she's probably just molting. To help her grow in the feathers, you can give some wet cat food, scrambled eggs, or mealworms.

 

[BantamLover21]

My dominant hen has lots of bald patches, above and below her tail all round her bum and belly. The skin looks perfectly normal and new feathers are starting to come through, its just the amount of feathers she's lost I'm worried about. Her sisters have't lost any yet, i know they moult but is this normal, she didn't moult this much last year. I do have a male in with them and he does mate with her when he can but otherwise he's scared of her

She's probably just molting. When birds molt, their feathers often fall out in clumps, making them look terrible. And molts tend to get more harsh as birds get older. Roosters can cause feather loss, too, but that is most likely not the problem. As long as you see new feathers growing in, I wouldn't worry too much. But I would check her for mites/lice (look on the skin/feathers for moving specks), as they can cause feather loss and can be a serious problem if not treated.

 

[bigbum1984]

She seems to be separating herself from the others now and not eating much, is this normal when moulting? Also, will she get cold with the bald patches?