Abuse or molting?

[midnightblue69]

We have 9 RIR hens and they have generally been molting a little for the last month. I suspect this is abuse from a particular hen. This is the hen that has it worst, others have very small amount of similar spots. What do y'all think is it molting or abuse and what do you do? BTW we put vasaline on her back which makes it look a little wet.

 

[dan_grow]

(edited for grammar)
looks like the damage done from a roster to hen after over mating
here is one of my hens a few months after we "removed" the rooster

are you sure your aggressive hen is still a hen because sometimes they'll turn into halfway roos and do thing like this
(those are usely only good for eating cause they dont lay eggs or provide hatch able eggs )

but to answere your question this was done by another chicken cause as you know molting doesn't happen like that

lastly could you post some pics of this bad hen

 

[dan_grow]

almost forgot dose the bad hen jump on them or pecks at them?

 

[Muggsmagee]

Hens can do damage...but these missing feathers look too similar to some of my hens that are frequently mated. Do you have a rooster?

 

[midnightblue69]

We have no roosters, the bad hen pecks at them, usually when someone has something she wants but I have never seen her so aggresive to do that kind of damage.

A hen can morph into a roo? I had never heard that. I will post a pic the agressive hen tomorrow.

 

[silkieroo]

Definitely not from molting that's for sure.

 

[dan_grow]

ya it happens every once in a while from a damaged ovary, sometimes though a hen will mate the other hens to show dominance.
(edited for grammar)

 

[buff]

That is not molting. And I do believe hens can act like roos. I have this hen that we got from someone else and she doesn't lay eggs but she trys to cookadoodle some and I have seen her jump on the backs of some of the other hens like roos do and also she make that noise that roos do when they are telling a hen they found food. as if she is calling them to her. but she isn't real aggressive to the point that she pulls the feathers off the other hens. my hens just molted and they never lost feathers off of their back like that.

 

[Pheonix]

Yeah, RIRs are mean and the alpha will pick on the others a lot. Mine are so scare of my RIR that they come over and hide under me because I protect them. It's actually really funny that when I come out they all come running at me and when the RIR comes chasing after them and she sees me she stops and starts squawking at me. It's so cute.