Chickens losing feathers and have scabs

[JThomp]

Hi everyone,
I have 8 road island hens and 1 rooster. They are all bald on their back ends and some under their belly’s. It’s not molt. They’re not picking at each other. No mites or lice are visible. We’ve decontaminated and powder regularly. We are at a loss. They are producing just fine and have no other issues but their skin is scabbing and a little raw looking in certain areas. They also have scabs on their combs. Please help! Thanks in advance.

 

[The Phantom]

Could be the rooster

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi everyone,
I have 8 road island hens and 1 rooster. They are all bald on their back ends and some under their belly’s. It’s not molt. They’re not picking at each other. No mites or lice are visible. We’ve decontaminated and powder regularly. We are at a loss. They are producing just fine and have no other issues but their skin is scabbing and a little raw looking in certain areas. They also have scabs on their combs. Please help! Thanks in advance.

Hi @JThomp Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of your hens and rooster? (scabs on the combs, scabs on the skin, feather damage/loss and some full body shots)
How much coop and run space do you have (sqft. of each)?
How old are they?
What do you decontaminate and powder with?

Without seeing, we can only speculate. Rooster treading (mating), feather picking while roosting, feathers being rubbed off by roosting bars and by going into/out of nesting boxes. Scabs on combs can be from mating, picking or possibly Fowl Pox, depending on where you live.

We look forward to your photos and more information so we can give you better answers.

 

[JThomp]

Hi @JThomp Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of your hens and rooster? (scabs on the combs, scabs on the skin, feather damage/loss and some full body shots)
How much coop and run space do you have (sqft. of each)?
How old are they?
What do you decontaminate and powder with?

Without seeing, we can only speculate. Rooster treading (mating), feather picking while roosting, feathers being rubbed off by roosting bars and by going into/out of nesting boxes. Scabs on combs can be from mating, picking or possibly Fowl Pox, depending on where you live.

We look forward to your photos and more information so we can give you better answers.

I will post some pics when I get home from work today. Thank you!

 

[Rdoyle77]

I am having the same problem. I have 3 Easter eggers that are about 7 months old and one has scabs on her skin and they all seem to be loosing their feathers and just have their down feathers. I also just lost one chick (about 9 months old) she lost all her feathers on her butt. Have you had any answers?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I am having the same problem. I have 3 Easter eggers that are about 7 months old and one has scabs on her skin and they all seem to be loosing their feathers and just have their down feathers. I also just lost one chick (about 9 months old) she lost all her feathers on her butt. Have you had any answers?

Hi @Rdoyle77 Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of your girls and the scabs?

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Losing a chicken can be hard, but without a necropsy or testing, it hard to know what caused it.
What type of food/treats do you feed?
How much space (sq.ft.) do you have in the coop and run?

Feather loss and scabbing is usually do to feather picking or can be from a cockerel/rooster mating the girls.

Check them over well for lice and mites. If you see any, then treat with a permethrin based poultry spray or dust.

Look forward to your photos and more information

 

[Rdoyle77]

Thank you. We don't have a rooster somit wouldn't be that. They have quite a bit of space, not sure square footage. I did dust them and the coop several times and don't see any bugs. I was feeding them laying food but switched over to feather fixer and a suggestion from my feed store, but that doesn't seem to be helping. They get veggie and fruit scraps from us.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The scabs look like they are from pecking or from feathers being pulled out.

Watch your girl's behavior to see if there is any picking going on. Sometimes this is seen more during roosting.

Do your girls preen a lot, have you seen them picking at their own feathers a lot? Do they have a dust bathing spot?

They may be a bit bored, veggies are good so try hanging those up to give them something to pick at.

 

[Rdoyle77]

They don't look like they are picking at eachother, but I don't see them when they roost. I do think she is the low man in the pecking order. I do see them pecking under their wings. I have one black hen that is 9 months and she looks great. They do have a dust bath area but they keep getting the hay in it. I may clear out all the hay today. I want to get more chicks at the end of March but am a little nervous in case the big girls have some kind of disease. I also use to let them free range when I was home but something got one of my girls so now they stay in the coop and run.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have one black hen that is 9 months and she looks great.

The one that looks the best (pristine feathers) is usually the culprit of the picking

Yes, if the dust bathing area is covered up, then raking the hay away may encourage them. My main run is fairly loose dirt, but I still go rake the dirt into heaps (clear away straw, etc.) my girls love this, digging for hours and dust bathing.

If they were used to being out and are now confined, this could be a stressor as well. If you can, at some point think about increasing run space.