Can anyone tell me what is causing the balding?

[SaraJean0989]

Some of my hens have started losing their feathers on their back- my sex link was first- she has a large bald spot now. And now both of my barred rocks and one of my reds appear to be starring the same pattern.

Their laying has not slowed any and the rest of their feather look healthy... and Tiny (my sex link this happened with first) is no where near the bottom of the pecking order and neither are the barred rocks.

Is this from my rooster? Is there a way to make it stop? Will their feathers come back soon? I am worried because we live in north east Iowa and while the weather is warmer than normal now, I don’t think bald spots will be good when winter returns.

 

[Kelliejanine]

It looks like it might be from the rooster. I know they make chicken saddles for the hens to prevent this. Good luck

 

[StephanieRose44]

Do you have a heat lamp up high by their roost? Could be singed feathers?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Looks like rooster treading.
The feathers will grow back in when they molt - usually in the fall.
How old is your rooster?
How much space do you have?

They will be o.k. in colder temperatures, but as the year goes by, you will probably see more wear and tear on the feathers.
If you have a way to separate the rooster, that's one way to reduce feather loss. Some people do use saddles, I have. They do help, but feathers are still worn off underneath the saddle, just not so quickly.
If your rooster is actually a cockerel (less than a year old) his hormones are raging. As he matures he will be a bit more gentle (sometimes) but you should still expect a little feather loss when hens/pullets are mated - there's really no way to stop it completely except to keep the rooster separate and just pair them up when you want them to breed.

 

[ShannonR]

Looks like rooster damage to me

 

[ShannonR]

How many hens do you have?

 

[aart]

'Rooster' wear and/or brittle feathers.
Could be pecking too...once they start breaking off.
They'll be fine in the cold.

 

[SaraJean0989]

Looks like rooster treading.
The feathers will grow back in when they molt - usually in the fall.
How old is your rooster?
How much space do you have?

They will be o.k. in colder temperatures, but as the year goes by, you will probably see more wear and tear on the feathers.
If you have a way to separate the rooster, that's one way to reduce feather loss. Some people do use saddles, I have. They do help, but feathers are still worn off underneath the saddle, just not so quickly.
If your rooster is actually a cockerel (less than a year old) his hormones are raging. As he matures he will be a bit more gentle (sometimes) but you should still expect a little feather loss when hens/pullets are mated - there's really no way to stop it completely except to keep the rooster separate and just pair them up when you want them to breed.

They are all less than a year old, I got them at 6-8 weeks old at the end of May. They will not molt until fall now? This is probably a stupid question for people more experienced in chicken raising but should I worry about sunburns then when summer comes around?
The inside run is between 50&60 sq feet. They have an outside run that I’ve let them out in most days that is about another 60sq feet. For 9 hens and one rooster I’ve read that is plenty of space- it’s pretry mild right now I could probably make their inside space a bit bigger if that’d help?

 

[SaraJean0989]

Do you have a heat lamp up high by their roost? Could be singed feathers?

No heat elements in the coop

 

[SaraJean0989]

How many hens do you have?

9 hens and 1 rooster- learned from other responses he’s actually a cockerel until spring