Chicken Stopped Laying and Losing Feathers

[cchin]

I have a one year old Ameraucana who has stopped laying eggs the past week. Over the past two months our entire flock has started to lose feathers here and there. From what we have read it is molting and something to be expected in a flock that is one year old. We checked them all for bugs and couldn't see any.

They are all losing feathers around their rear ends but this one bird in particular has lost them all around her neck and head as well.
She is the only Ameraucana in the bunch...we have a few singles and the rest are Rhode Island Reds and they are definitely a bossy bunch. She first started losing her feathers right above her tail on her back and then all the ones on her neck and head. She is also pretty skinny compared to the others. We thought maybe some of the feather loss was from being picked on and pecked at but now she isn't laying. We are positive she isn't laying because she is the only bird laying blue eggs. From what I read if they aren't blue they are white...but all the eggs we are getting lately have only been brown.

Any suggestions? Any ideas what this could be?

Thanks

 

[sourland]

Sounds like a perfectly normal molt. Some lose a few feathers at a time and others blow their entire feather covering and look like naked chickens. Better now than in December.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It sounds like she is indeed molting, but she make be getting pecked some since she is low in the pecking order. Chickens usually molt once a year starting around 16-18 months old, and each chicken loses feathers differently. Some take longer to ge tback to laying and regrowing feathers. Bumping up their protein with some flock raiser 20% or gamebird feed 24% can help to grow feathers. She might benefit from a bit of cooked egg. Probiotics in the water, and placing food and water in 2 or more places can help everyone to get some nutrition. Here are a couple of links about molting with pictures:
http://www.grit.com/animals/molting-what-is-it--how-to-help-chickens-get-through-it.aspx
http://www.nutrenaworld.com/knowledge-center/poultry/the-molting-process/index.jsp

 

[cchin]

@Eggcessive thanks so much for advice! I am going to try the cooked eggs and the food suggestions. I think she would greatly benefit from having a place she can eat without those Rhode island reds getting in her face. I have a serious soft spot for this little chicken. We actually just checked the coop and she laid an egg which is great!

These are our first chickens and when they started losing their feather I was starting to really worry but they look exactly like the pictures in the link. She just seemed to lose them the most. We call her our little turkey because she looks like one right now haha.

We do have a few of the hens that are eating their eggs. We thought it was a matter of boredom so we let them roam but then the dog got one of them. They do have a large open run and a very large coop to come in and out of. We have been making them cabbage piñatas and throwing in lots of greens to keep them busy. Do you think that they eat them out of boredom or is it a matter of them looking for protein? I didn't know you could feed them cooked eggs so now that you mention that I wonder if that's why that have been eating them?

 

[maritarenee]

I actually just came on here to ask the same question. My Americauna is about 16 months old. I have a mix breed of chickens in my coop she's the only one missing feathers. It's her neck, mostly one side and a little bit of her head. She also hasn't laid in about a week or so. I'm not sure if it's live or mites. I've never had those probles with my other chickens. Sadly they were killed by a fox so I don't really let these chickens free range much. They don't have access to the dust baths like my free range chickens used to. Any advice or suggestions??

 

[Eggcessive]

Chickens really need to be outdoors. I had to train my dogs not to bother them if one flew into our yard. A shock collar used once or twice usually does the trick--we had to try this after the third chicken was "played with" and it worked well. Eggs will be eaten if the shells are thin, if pullets hang around the coop a lot, or if eggs are not collected frequently. It can become a habit, but I feel like giving some crushed egg shells back to them for a calcium supplement, along with the free ranging helps.

 

[Eggcessive]

I actually just came on here to ask the same question. My Americauna is about 16 months old. I have a mix breed of chickens in my coop she's the only one missing feathers. It's her neck, mostly one side and a little bit of her head. She also hasn't laid in about a week or so. I'm not sure if it's live or mites. I've never had those probles with my other chickens. Sadly they were killed by a fox so I don't really let these chickens free range much. They don't have access to the dust baths like my free range chickens used to. Any advice or suggestions??

Sounds like she is molting. Have a look at the links in post # 3.

 

[maritarenee]

I didn't see any pictures in the link but it does sound like molting. I'll keep an eye on her and add more protein. Thank you!!

 

[cchin]

@maritarenee you can see the pictures as this link shared http://www.grit.com/animals/molting-what-is-it--how-to-help-chickens-get-through-it.aspx

 

[maritarenee]

Thanks! Some of those pictures are scary! Lol I let my girls free range today a few hours and three ran right over for dirt baths. They were loving life! I'm going to up the protein and let them free range a while