Being hen pecked!

[SweetE]

my girl is just laying down letting them peck her! Why doesn't she get tough and fight back?! I don't know why she's at the bottom but she's been bald for months now. What should I do? I want her to be pretty again and left alone. Otherwise she's healthy and a good layer. Any ideas why her skins so red? Sunburn maybe since she has no feathers?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

There is a mite species sometimes called a depluming mite that lives in the feather follicles and quills of a chicken's plumage. If you will pay attention all the missing plumage is within reach of the hens beak. She is pulling out her own feathers to relieve the torment that these mites produce. These mites are closely related to the human eyelash mite or maybe the mange mite in K9s.

 

[ChickNanny13]

my girl is just laying down letting them peck her! Why doesn't she get tough and fight back?! I don't know why she's at the bottom but she's been bald for months now. What should I do? I want her to be pretty again and left alone. Otherwise she's healthy and a good layer. Any ideas why her skins so red? Sunburn maybe since she has no feathers?

Have you seen the other picking on her? Is she in good health, eating/drinking, pooping? That's a severe case of being pecked on, I'd separate her for her own safety. The red skin would be sunburn, poor thing. You may want to rehome her.

If it's what a mite that chickengeorgeto says is probably the problem, need to treat but surprised the others aren't affected. That would be the cause of the redness, irritation.

 

[SweetE]

There is a mite species sometimes called a depluming mite that lives in the feather follicles and quills of a chicken's plumage. If you will pay attention all the missing plumage is within reach of the hens beak. She is pulling out her own feathers to relieve the torment that these mites produce. These mites are closely related to the human eyelash mite or maybe the mange mite in K9s.
View attachment 1125071

I have not seen her pull her own feathers. The other girls do it. And I have closely inspected her for mites. Even bathed her and I see no signs of parasite. She is happy and healthy and lays daily. She eats well and runs around grazing with the other chickens. She isn't a loner. She has just been ugly for a while. I upped their protein content with a different feed and she actually has feathers growing in now. It's how to rearrange the pecking order I am not sure off. I have separated her for now. Still wishing the yard but fences so she can heal and grow her feathers back. But not sure it won't just happen again when she is re introduced.

 

[aart]

There is a mite species sometimes called a depluming mite that lives in the feather follicles and quills of a chicken's plumage. If you will pay attention all the missing plumage is within reach of the hens beak. She is pulling out her own feathers to relieve the torment that these mites produce. These mites are closely related to the human eyelash mite or maybe the mange mite in K9s.
View attachment 1125071

@chickengeorgeto Where did you get that pic...got a link?

 

[aart]

I have not seen her pull her own feathers. The other girls do it. And I have closely inspected her for mites. Even bathed her and I see no signs of parasite. She is happy and healthy and lays daily. She eats well and runs around grazing with the other chickens. She isn't a loner. She has just been ugly for a while. I upped their protein content with a different feed and she actually has feathers growing in now. It's how to rearrange the pecking order I am not sure off. I have separated her for now. Still wishing the yard but fences so she can heal and grow her feathers back. But not sure it won't just happen again when she is re introduced.

That's pretty good indicator that a protein deficiency was causing the feather picking. It will take time for them to grow back in.

Tell us more about your flock(numbers, gender, ages)
and their housing(coop and run sizes in feet by feet).
You may have to juggle some chickens to get them all back together as flock,
can't advise on how without knowing the details.

 

[SweetE]

I have 10 hens and a young rooster. They have a 10x6 yard attached to their coop and an additional run that is 5x2 for treats. I let them out daily to free range all day in my back yard which is a little less than 1/2 an acre. They go back in on their own at night so I can close them in for safety. There are 6 laying boxes total. They have lots of roosting room for night time.

 

[aart]

How old are your hens and young rooster?
Have they always lived together?
How big is coop...that's often where the abuse happens or begins.

 

[SweetE]

My hens are 1.5 years old. Yes they have always lived together. My roo is 5 months. The coop is 4x6 without measuring the laying boxes. The abuse happens right out in the open. I catch them often just free ranging in the yard.

 

[aart]

My hens are 1.5 years old. Yes they have always lived together. My roo is 5 months. The coop is 4x6 without measuring the laying boxes. The abuse happens right out in the open. I catch them often just free ranging in the yard.

Did you just get all these birds or just get the young roo?
Did the feather picking start when you got the young roo?
She is probably molting, why the feathers are growing back in, are they still picking on her?