Can one dominant hen pick on all the rest of the flock?

[junebuggena]

Here are a few photos.
I have another hen whose back is almost completely bare.

That's rooster damage.

 

[donrae]

I agree, that looks like rooster damage. I don't know if the feathers are getting more brittle cause they're heading for a molt, or what. The rooster losing feathers isn't from himself obviously

, so I still think he may be molting. My beautiful rooster is looking pretty pitiful right now, no pretty tail, and his neck looks like he needs a scarf.

You might try pulling the rooster for a bit and see what happens. I think they'll need to molt before the feathers come back, but you're heading to the right time of year for that anyway.

Sounds like you have one girl who isn't too receptive to him, or her feathers are just stronger.

 

[azygous]

Can you find time to observe your flock for a few hours some afternoon?

That's a great way to confirm whether or not you have feather loss due to an aggressive hen. Afternoon is when most feather picking is at its peak if it's occurring.

Another way to tell if you have simple molting or feather picking is to look carefully at the bald spots on the victims. If it's simple molt, there will be bald spots filled with uniform emerging pin feathers while picked areas have uneven broken feathers and you won't see uniform areas of emerging pin feathers since broken feathers don't grow new feathers immediately since it requires a molt to replace the damaged ones.

If all of the damage is limited to the backs of the hens, then you can assume it's probably rooster mating that's doing the damage. Saddles are a great way to protect feathers from this sort of damage, but not all hens will tolerate wearing them.