Chickens looks like they've been attacked ... but haven't ... maybe?

[ChickiKat]

feathers pulled out during mounting aren't pulled out that fast and they are usually on the back of the head... I have no idea what happened to these birds, do they have any parasites?

 

[Frosty]

Quote:
The feathers are pulled out of the back of the head during mounting, yes. But they are also sometimes ripped out in that area when the rooster is standing on the hen. In my friends case there was a hen that would poull feathers out of other birds just picking on them.

 

[ChixinLyons]

Any thoughts on what we can do to prevent it? Or, is it something we shouldn't worry about?

 

[Frosty]

I believe my friend has some success in the case of the hen picking... she hung a head of cabbage in the hen house to keep them occupied. It can be a concern because if it's a picking issue, they may not stop at feather picking.

 

[Young Heritage]

How many chickens do you have and what size coop? If overcrowded they will pick at each other more.

 

[ChixinLyons]

Cabbage sounds like something we can try! We have six hens and the pen is 20' x 30' with their 3' x 5' coop attached.

 

[Young Heritage]

Quote:
I would not think it would be from overcrowding with a coop and run that size. I have 2 hens that look like that but it was done over a week or 2 from heavy mating. "Rooters standing on their backs". Have since removed extra roos and the backs are filling back in with feathers now.

 

[airmechreed]

Ok I have had this problem too and so has a friend of mine( who has had chickens longer than me) I asked him and he says it happens every year to his flock with the change of the weather. I just put some rooster booster on it and let it heal. your chickens are pecking eachother usually above the tail area. If you don't seperate the one that is injured the other hens will peck it to death. I have seen people use vegitable oil to cover the smell of the blood.....but you should do your own research and go from there. Like I said I use a product called rooster booster and seperate the injured hen. The feathers will start to grow back in a couple weeks. One of my other friends suggested that they may be lacking in protien and that is why they are feather eating. I don't know if that is true, but I also started putting a little scratch in the bedding in the coup so they don't get too bored. I hope that this helps and good luck. I know how frustrating it can be when you don't know whats going on or how to stop it.

 

[hendrygg]

Some of mine look like that and they are just molting.

 

[seminolewind]

I have a few that look exactly like that, it's the rooster. You can buy chicken saddle for her, or, duct tape. You put a few strips from under wing to under wing. Stays on pretty long. Eventually falls off.
It looks like that hen is the roo's favorite.