Bare Patches on Top of both wings near shoulder - only quills

[twothingfarm]

Hi all - I have one ameraucana hen - on the small side that is majorly molting at the moment. She has developed a bare patch on each wing up near her shoulders. Only quills, no feathers. Each patch is the size of 2 or 3 quarters. There isn't blood, I don't see anyone pick on her, she is staying out of the way of other birds in the nest box area - is this normal molting to lose that many feathers? None of my other birds look like that. There are 20 birds that free range on about an acre - there are three large size yet still portable coops in that same space - lately at night many of the birds end up in the same coop with one other coop remaining empty. Each coop is max capacity 7 birds and at times 12 pack into one. I have tried moving them around to spread them out but they seem to just follow each other all into the one the next night. Could this be an overcrowded at night issue? I also have one too many roosters and they are A LOT bigger than this hen - maybe they could be causing this?

Thanks for any tips on what it might be and what I might do for her. How long before the feathers return?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Yes to the roosters. I have a poor sizzle who could not grow her feathers fast enough to keep ahead of the rooster. I finally separated her from all males for a couple of months, and she now has a fully covered back and wings.

 

[DAFox]

Roosters! I have a RIR hen who is the rooster's "favorite" hen. She looked bad and I couldn't keep a saddle on her. I put her in my Silkie pen a while back. Looking good now. She flies out of that pen and goes into the LF coop to lay an egg. Then, she flies back into the Silkie pen before the roo can get her. Smart girl.
Dale-Ann

 

[twothingfarm]

Hi - sounds like you all have seen this before - I will downsize at least one rooster and maybe move the other two somewhere else for a while and see if she gets those feathers back. Thanks!