Does ANYONE know what's happening?

[Cluckies]

Thanks, I'm going to deep clean the coop and chickens to make sure it isn't a parasite. It's just so strange, and it happens overnight too. The hen in the picture was fine yesterday morning and when I locked them up tonight her feathers looked like that

That happened over night? ooohhh..... Are your roosts un-even, like the ladder type? if so it could be the chickens above picking the feathers of the girls on the lower roost. Were there loose feathers under the roost? or none? if none, they were eaten by another chicken, itself, or something else...

 

[Peytons Poultry]

That happened over night?  ooohhh..... Are your roosts un-even, like the ladder type?  if so it could be the chickens above picking the feathers of the girls on the lower roost.  Were there loose feathers under the roost?  or none?  if none, they were eaten by another chicken, itself, or something else...

Yeah I'm thinking maybe that's what it is, by the feathers are so clean cut it doesn't seem like a chickens beak could do that? I deep cleaned the coop today and dusted the chickens for mites, so if it was a pest, then that shouldn't be a problem anymore

 

[Beekissed]

Mice. It's the perfect time of year and at this same time last year folks were complaining of mysterious feather clipping overnight just like this. Cold weather puts a lot of stress on rodents and feathers are a great source of protein and calcium. They just sit up there at night and have a snack.

I'd put out some JustOneBite bars in a safe place away from the chooks (under a weighted down but propped up bucket anywhere in the vicinity of the coop is usually fine...you can even place a fence or net around this bucket if it makes you nervous). The poison bars are not like the pellets and they have to nibble it off the bar to consume or store it and get poisoned in this manner. Works by the next day and the rodents crawl outside to die.

 

[Suzie]

Mice. It's the perfect time of year and at this same time last year folks were complaining of mysterious feather clipping overnight just like this. Cold weather puts a lot of stress on rodents and feathers are a great source of protein and calcium. They just sit up there at night and have a snack.

I'd put out some JustOneBite bars in a safe place away from the chooks (under a weighted down but propped up bucket anywhere in the vicinity of the coop is usually fine...you can even place a fence or net around this bucket if it makes you nervous). The poison bars are not like the pellets and they have to nibble it off the bar to consume or store it and get poisoned in this manner. Works by the next day and the rodents crawl outside to die.

X 2...there are mice here...and feather loss is happening among my young chicks that do not yet go up to the roost at night...the mice are being poisoned but it takes some time to eradicate them all...mice can get through a very small gap into a coop...door, ceiling...any which way..

 

[Cluckies]

Yeah I'm thinking maybe that's what it is, by the feathers are so clean cut it doesn't seem like a chickens beak could do that? I deep cleaned the coop today and dusted the chickens for mites, so if it was a pest, then that shouldn't be a problem anymore

Oh yeah, a chicken beak can do that. some of mine look like the feathers were cut with a scissors. But make sure you dust again in 7 days I think? Also I would put all the roosts even and apart from each other so they can't reach each other and see if that solves it. I can't comment on the mice thing, haven't dealt with that. are there mice tracks in the snow? mice droppings?

 

[Peytons Poultry]

Oh yeah, a chicken beak can do that. some of mine look like the feathers were cut with a scissors. But make sure you dust again in 7 days I think?  Also I would put all the roosts even and apart from each other so they can't reach each other and see if that solves it.  I can't comment on the mice thing, haven't dealt with that. are there mice tracks in the snow? mice droppings?

Nope, couldn't be mice. I will try to ajust my roost, I think I know which chicken would be doing the picking, if it was that.

 

[JJSS89]

This is common in hens that don't get enough animal protein in their diet for 2 reasons:

1) They don't develop feathers as well
2) They are more aggressive on a vegetarian diet because they crave more complete proteins from bugs, raw ground meat, eggs etc.

Recommend feeding them some scrambled eggs.

Another cause of this is not having complete darkness in their roosting areas and not having enough roosting space or space in general.

 

[Peytons Poultry]

This is common in hens that don't get enough animal protein in their diet for 2 reasons:

1)  They don't develop feathers as well
2)  They are more aggressive on a vegetarian diet because they crave more complete proteins from bugs, raw ground meat, eggs etc.

Recommend feeding them some scrambled eggs.

Another cause of this is not having complete darkness in their roosting areas and not having enough roosting space or space in general.

Thank you! This makes sense, I keep a heat lamp on in the coop most nights because it gets really cold here, and there's no bugs either. I'm sure they will love the eggs.

 

[Sonya9]

Thank you! This makes sense, I keep a heat lamp on in the coop most nights because it gets really cold here, and there's no bugs either. I'm sure they will love the eggs.

You can provide heat at night without light. Look up "ceramic heat bulbs", that is what reptile keepers use for night time heat.

I use one in my coop when it gets really cold, the one I have is only 100 watts so I don't worry about it being much of a fire risk either (it isn't hot enough to light a flying feather on fire).

 

[snowbird]

Quote: Be very careful with the ceramic heaters as they will burn through your skin if you attempt to unscrew one of them. I find them to be very dangerous. Don