We have had a very cold and snowy winter. My 16 hens have been cooped up most of the time, even though they have access to a run all winter. They just look raggedy and have a general unhealthy appearance. Some have bald looking faces, and some have patches of feathers missing at the bases of their tails. We do have a rooster, and I know they can cause some damage to the feathers, so I don't know if it's just from him or not. Yesterday I actually witnessed one hen picking her own feathers from the base of her tail. I checked a few of the balder looking ones for lice or mites and I don't see anything. I'd say about 5-6 out of the 16 have bald patches. I'm still getting eggs everyday, usually 14-16 eggs from 16 hens! Do chickens usually come out of winter just looking a little rougher normally? The run is half snow covered and the other half is muddy, so maybe it's just boredom from them being stuck in close quarters all winter. They don't seem to be acting sick in any other way, they are eating and drinking fine too. I got some blu kote to cover the bald areas, none of them have actual wounds or red looking skin yet, just missing feathers.
