Bald spots months after molt

[fairie]

Hi our hen has some bald spots that just won’t get better. We found her last year on the side of the road so I don’t know how old she is. She has lived with us for a year. In autumn she had a pretty good molt but these patches have not filled in. The spots are on her wings and top of her back near her fat gland which is also red and looks irritated. Her tail feathers look shabby and have not grown back nicely. Her skins looks red only on these patches. She had also been laying soft shelled eggs on and off. She had no mites. I looked.

 

[PollyGirl21]

hmmmm.... maybe a skin irritation? maybe she is not getting enough protein and calcium. Try crushing up eggshells and giving it to her for the calcium, and sunflower seeds for the protein.

 

[PollyGirl21]

also, is there some aggressive hens or a rooster breeding aggressively in your flock? they could be the cause of feather loss.

 

[fairie]

I give them egg shells and a mix from the feed store of shells rocks minerals.

I am wondering if I should just smear her with some coconut oil?

 

[PollyGirl21]

I've never tried that, so I couldn't say...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have a rooster?

Her feathers are broken, nipped or rubbed off. The shaft is still intact in the skin, so those will not be replaced until she molts. She may have had a "soft molt" last year where she did not fully shed/replace all the worn out feathers. I had one do that and finally she had a hard molt and looks great, but the previous year she still had some shabby tail feathers.

Observe your flock's behavior too - watch them during the day and when settling in for the night (roosting time) you may see that she is being plucked at too. Red skin can be hidden with pick no more or Blue Kote. Some people use saddles to cover a hen too.

 

[fairie]

Wyorp Rock
thanks for that. I thought it was because of the molt. I just hope that she molts again this year. She's not the prettiest now, but she is the friendliest!