Alarming Number of Chickens Losing Feathers

[Alek]

Some of my chickens have begun to lose a lot of their feathers, which I know is normal because of my rooster but I don't believe the rooster is behind this.

In this picture you can see the baldness that's appearing not at the back but at the front of the neck but it doesn't appear to be red and agitated due to other chickens.

In these pictures my chickens have lost the feathers on their back which I know that my roosters do but they haven't grown back much on some or at all on others.

There are also feathers disappearing near the vents of some other chickens that I unfortunately don't have pictures of.

Thanks for all advice on the situation.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

First photo looks like new pins feathers are coming in, so she's molting.
Likely the others are too. Do you see pin feathers coming in on them too?

 

[Alek]

First photo looks like new pins feathers are coming in, so she's molting.
Likely the others are too. Do you see pin feathers coming in on them too?

I still find it a little worrying that she would only be molting around her neck, which could her more likely to get an injury or death because it's not well protected. Also my chickens tend to molt in the fall so that's another reason I don't think that's it. And in response to the question there are feathers coming in on one but the other two haven't started growing their feathers back even though they've been featherless for a month or two.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I still find it a little worrying that she would only be molting around her neck, which could her more likely to get an injury or death because it's not well protected. Also my chickens tend to molt in the fall so that's another reason I don't think that's it. And in response to the question there are feathers coming in on one but the other two haven't started growing their feathers back even though they've been featherless for a month or two.

Did they molt in the fall? When my Welsummer molted she lost gobs of feathers around her neck, chest, and belly first, then the rest of her followed suit a couple weeks later. Have you checked them over for parasites?

 

[Bonwell]

I still find it a little worrying that she would only be molting around her neck, which could her more likely to get an injury or death because it's not well protected. Also my chickens tend to molt in the fall so that's another reason I don't think that's it. And in response to the question there are feathers coming in on one but the other two haven't started growing their feathers back even though they've been featherless for a month or two.

Chickens don't necessarily molt in fall, mine always used to, but this year I've had about ten of them go through the molting process in the last month or so. Some went through full body molting, others had it just like these ones, with just the neck and chest area losing feathers. But they all grew back just fine.

 

[Hannahnic14]

I changed my feed to higher protein and 3 of my girls started molting in January!

 

[rascal66]

Some of my chickens have begun to lose a lot of their feathers, which I know is normal because of my rooster but I don't believe the rooster is behind this.

View attachment 2989053
In this picture you can see the baldness that's appearing not at the back but at the front of the neck but it doesn't appear to be red and agitated due to other chickens.

View attachment 2989058
View attachment 2989059
View attachment 2989060
In these pictures my chickens have lost the feathers on their back which I know that my roosters do but they haven't grown back much on some or at all on others.

There are also feathers disappearing near the vents of some other chickens that I unfortunately don't have pictures of.

Thanks for all advice on the situation.

That first hen looks like she is going through a heavier molt. The other hens is harder to say, but likely are going to molt too if they are seemingly dropping feathers everywhere.
Youre correct about the bareback-ness on some of them, which is caused from mating with a rooster. Those typically don't grow back as fast because of how they break, and usually the base of the feather is still lodged in their skin. (Or as he mates them, he knocks off any new growth).
Have you also checked them for lice or mites? A heavy infestation of lice can deplume feathers.

 

[rascal66]

I still find it a little worrying that she would only be molting around her neck, which could her more likely to get an injury or death because it's not well protected. Also my chickens tend to molt in the fall so that's another reason I don't think that's it. And in response to the question there are feathers coming in on one but the other two haven't started growing their feathers back even though they've been featherless for a month or two.

I think it was said already, but not all chickens always molt specifically in fall. I have a couple that are molting right now! From what I've seen, they can really molt during any other season. Though fall and spring tend to be the common times for them to do so?

 

[BY Bob]

With everyone who follows my thread and is based in the US and Canada there is an abnormally high number of hens that seem to be molting in the dead of winter for the first time. We have all been commenting how we have never seen this before. It feels like the same may be occurring with others as well based upon these posts. Those of us with chickens in the northern parts of the country have been taking extraordinary precautions to protect them from extreme cold. Our current theory is that a warmer than usual fall has led to this late molting. What do you all think?

 

[coach723]

How old are your birds? Birds under 18 months old will sometimes miss a molt, so missing saddle feathers will stay missing until then. Some birds will do partial molts some years, and molt can be very variable bird to bird and year to year. They may lose a lot of feathers all at once in one or more areas of the body and others will be very gradual and you might not notice. There is a huge range of normal in molting, and they really can molt just about any time of year. I've got one that molts really early every year, she's usually done when everyone else is just getting started. This year she did a partial molt early and a harder molt when everyone else molted. She doesn't read the literature!
How many hens do you have, just one roo? How old is he? If your hens are getting beat up (lots of lost feathers) then you may not have enough hens for him or he may just be rough. Especially if he's under a year old, cockerels are immature and tend to beat the hens up, they have no manners.