Feather Loss: Americana's ONLY??? Can you help me, please??

[hemmerleking]

Hello. I have a backyard coop with 2 Americana (Easter Eggers) hens; 1 Americana rooster; 3 Golden Sexlinks; 3 Barred Rocks & 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes. My hens/rooster are 7 months old. The past month I've noticed that my Americana's (hens & rooster) are missing feathers towards the base of their back (near the end of their wings & tip of the tail feathers) & on their necks. (1) of the Americana's is looking worse than the other (2). I have seen my Barred Rocks & Golden Sexlinks pecking in these areas, on a few occasions. Could they be causing this? I put Diamaceous Earth (DE) in my coop, to kill fleas & other pests. I have checked under the wings of my Americana that is missing the most feathers & in her vent, per a YouTube video I watched, looking for flea eggs, etc. I don't see anything. I had originally thought they were molting, but all of the other breeds look much better than these & don't have this problem of feather loss. Do you think the other chickens are pecking them & pulling out their feathers? Is this normal? My rooster is showing signs of this feather loss near his rear tail feathers (green/black), otherwise he looks fine. I have seen a Golden Sexlink pecking at this area on him. Any ideas?? We also live in a warm climate (FL). Thank you!!

 

[curious chickee]

Yes, if you see the chickens pecking them, they are feather pecking. Sometimes they set feathers because not enough protein sometimes once a bald spot occurs they will continue to peck that area. I use blue-kote on my. The antiseptic helps heal and the color helps detour. You could also try a chicken saddle. Or separate the ones causing the trouble. The chickens will continue to peck the bald if left alone.

 

[hemmerleking]

Thank you!! I am sewing saddles today

 

[LisaChick1]

I have the same exact problem with my 2 americana hens. And the others are fine. I noticed a little but of pecks here and there as well. I wonder why it's only these girls.

 

[hemmerleking]

I do, too!! I just sprayed them with Blue Kote & I already have a Barred Rock with a blue beak, b/c she's still pecking my rooster!! Going to try clipping blue beaks, tomorrow, per a friend's suggestion. Making saddles tonight. Also building a mobile run, to separate them.

 

[junebuggena]

Two of the main reasons for feather picking are not enough space per bird, or not enough protein in the diet. Both are fairly simple fixes. Give the birds more room, and switch to a feed with a higher protein content.

 

[colejohnson73]

How big is the coop and run.

 

[LisaChick1]

My run is about 30ft by 20 ft, coup is About 10 ft by 5ft. I also typically let them out to free range but there is a fox in the area that just snagged one of my girls so they're not allowed out for a bit. I have 10 hens and a rooster in this area. I feed them high quality organic layer pellets, oyster shell is available to them and I give them dark leafy greens and fruits as treats.

 

[junebuggena]

The rooster shouldn't be fed layer pellets, they contain too much calcium. Layer pellets also tend to be a bit low in protein. A whole flock feed would be a better option. It has a higher protein content, usually about 20%, so the ones with feather loss can grow them back quicker. It doesn't have all the added calcium of a layer ration so you don't have to worry about the long term health impacts for the rooster.

 

[LisaChick1]

Thank you