Another feather issue.....

[Srog33]

I have 4 easter eggers and they are losing feathers, have bare feathers, etc. This has been going on for close to 2 months. They are 15mo old. I have 2 that are 4mo old and look great. I have searched them all for mites, lice, etc and have not seen any evidence other than the feather loss. Egg production is down as well. I get 1 - 3 eggs a day, Usually 2.
I have one bird that has messy feathers around her vent frequently and redness at base of tail feathers with bare feather shafts. I have given her a bath in dawn dish detergent a few times and spray her with pure planet poultry spray. I also spray the coop once a week with the same.
It seems like the wrong time for a molt and it is lasting too long. I have been feeding them scratch and peck since they were chicks but just switched to pellets this week in case they aren't getting all the vitamins and nutrients that they should because I don't ferment the feed often. I am adding vitamins to their water and give them a handful of grubs daily in addition to snacks including scrambled and occasional sardines to increase protein. They good cucumbers and zucchini too.
Any ideas? Should I spray them all as if they do have mites/lice even though I don't see any? Is it a feed issue? Another illness?

 

[White Valley Acres]

Do the hens missing feathers often get pecked by another or have you seen them being aggressive at all towards each other?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Do you have one that has no feather damage or is it on all of them?

 

[Srog33]

Do the hens missing feathers often get pecked by another or have you seen them being aggressive at all towards each other?

I really haven't seen too much aggressive behavior or pecking

 

[Srog33]

Do you have one that has no feather damage or is it on all of them?

My 4 older girls are all missing feathers around the neck, 2 of them have the bare feather shafts near the tail. My 2 new girls look great with no feather issues

 

[HeatherKellyB]

My 4 older girls are all missing feathers around the neck, 2 of them have the bare feather shafts near the tail. My 2 new girls look great with no feather issues

Did you have the new girls whenever this started?

 

[White Valley Acres]

I really haven't seen too much aggressive behavior or pecking

That's strange. I don't what it could be if it was a disease... I would've suspected a dominant hen causing the issue, but if there's not much... I'm sorry I can't help, hopefully you can find someone with some answers!

 

[Srog33]

Did you have the new girls whenever this started?

I did have them, I am now trying to remember if it was an issue before I transferred the new girls from the brooder to the coop. I put them all together when the new chicks were 11 or 12 weeks old, probably beginning of June. I don't think it was,, but maybe just starting on one hen, they didn't all start losing the feathers at the same time.

 

[Srog33]

That's strange. I don't what it could be if it was a disease... I would've suspected a dominant hen causing the issue, but if there's not much... I'm sorry I can't help, hopefully you can find someone with some answers!

No problem, thank you for taking the time to take a look.