Broken Feathers?

[AvocadoAbi]

Okay so something really fishy is going on in our flock...
I've been noticing in the past couple of weeks that the chickens' feathers have been sorta broken off (attached a picture below I found on the web that looks exactly like my hens, will post a picture of my hens in daytime tomorrow).

I first suspected a rodent and was right- I found a mouse running out of the coop somehow one night. I did a checkup on the coop hardware cloth the next day and found a teeny hole which I stapled closed in hopes of the mouse not getting in again. And sure enough, the mouse has not gotten back in (I haven't seen any mouse droppings recently) but the broken feathers remain!
They do not have any mites to my knowledge.
Our flock is very healthy and happy! They are fed non medicated layer crumbles and given protein daily in the form of mealworms and sometimes scraps of kitchen leftovers. They free range for an hour everyday and food and water are offered at all times.
And they are currently separated from the roo so that rules out mating injuries. (Even when they were with the rooster, he was never that rough with them that their feathers would be broken.)
If anybody has advice, that would be great, thanks!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Have they molted yet? My flock looks terrible right before they molt.

And if their feathers were damaged, the damage will remain until they molt again.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Also, daily treats might be causing nutrient imbalance, which could affect feather quality. You might consider cutting back on the treats or cutting them out altogether.

 

[AvocadoAbi]

Have they molted yet? My flock looks terrible right before they molt.

And if their feathers were damaged, the damage will remain until they molt again.

They have not molted yet this year,

Also, daily treats might be causing nutrient imbalance, which could affect feather quality. You might consider cutting back on the treats or cutting them out altogether.

I am very careful on their treats dosage- only a teaspoon of worms a day for protein. And they only get kitchen scraps once every 2-3 weeks.

 

[Aunt Angus]

They're probably due for a molt, then. I wouldn't worry since you've ruled out mites/lice, behavioral, and dietary causes.

 

[ATXChickies]

Okay so something really fishy is going on in our flock...
I've been noticing in the past couple of weeks that the chickens' feathers have been sorta broken off (attached a picture below I found on the web that looks exactly like my hens, will post a picture of my hens in daytime tomorrow).
View attachment 3140558
I first suspected a rodent and was right- I found a mouse running out of the coop somehow one night. I did a checkup on the coop hardware cloth the next day and found a teeny hole which I stapled closed in hopes of the mouse not getting in again. And sure enough, the mouse has not gotten back in (I haven't seen any mouse droppings recently) but the broken feathers remain!
They do not have any mites to my knowledge.
Our flock is very healthy and happy! They are fed non medicated layer crumbles and given protein daily in the form of mealworms and sometimes scraps of kitchen leftovers. They free range for an hour everyday and food and water are offered at all times.
And they are currently separated from the roo so that rules out mating injuries. (Even when they were with the rooster, he was never that rough with them that their feathers would be broken.)
If anybody has advice, that would be great, thanks!

I cam here because we have the same thing happening with our 4 girls, but not the Rooster. I give a cucumber and apple everyday with their layer pellets. It is very very hot - we are experiencing triple digit weather now for the second week in a row. They have misters and we use hydrochick as well as fresh water. We keep dusting the coop and run in case it is a skin issue we cannot identify yet? A mouse is totally possible for us too - will they do that to the birds? Any other ideas?