Feather Plucking

[Dmm9979]

I have a flock of 5 barred rock and 4 RI reds. The Reds all have significant feather loss at the base of their tail that I assume is due to plucking. The Barred Rocks all have perfect feathers from what I can tell.

I have had no luck figuring out who the culprit is. Any tips on how to figure this out? They do not peck each other when I am around. How do you fix the behavior once I find out which one is doing it?

On another note, we have also had significantly less egg production across the board. Does this have anything do with the plucking?

Thanks!

 

[AgnesGray]

If some of them (or one of them) are plucking others, I'd guess that it's your BRs to be pulling feathers off of the RIRs, but I wouldn't blame them just yet.

Do you have a rooster? Have you checked them and the coop over for any parasites like poultry mites or lice? They can also pick at each other if they're in a small space. How much space do they have/bird?

May also very likely be something else, like molt. BR seem to have more and fuller feathers than RIRs so take longer to show if they are losing a few feathers. The RIRs may also be molting and the BR not yet. My BRs always seem to be the ones ugly molting in the middle of January when everyone else is done and looking gorgeous.

Growing feathers and laying eggs both take protein. If egg production is down, it likely means the protein they are getting is going to regrowing the feathers and the egg laying takes a break. This is very common in molt. When ours are molting, we boost their protein to help them with regrowing those feathers, which is an uncomfortable time for them. It also gets them back to laying a bit sooner. There are feeds specifically for this like Feather Fixer, etc, and you can give them a boost by feeding them scrambled eggs or tuna, but we just give them 1:1 layer feed mixed with turkey starter. We usually do this for the month of November and sometimes into December.

 

[Dmm9979]

If some of them (or one of them) are plucking others, I'd guess that it's your BRs to be pulling feathers off of the RIRs, but I wouldn't blame them just yet.

Do you have a rooster? Have you checked them and the coop over for any parasites like poultry mites or lice? They can also pick at each other if they're in a small space. How much space do they have/bird?

May also very likely be something else, like molt. BR seem to have more and fuller feathers than RIRs so take longer to show if they are losing a few feathers. The RIRs may also be molting and the BR not yet. My BRs always seem to be the ones ugly molting in the middle of January when everyone else is done and looking gorgeous.

Growing feathers and laying eggs both take protein. If egg production is down, it likely means the protein they are getting is going to regrowing the feathers and the egg laying takes a break. This is very common in molt. When ours are molting, we boost their protein to help them with regrowing those feathers, which is an uncomfortable time for them. It also gets them back to laying a bit sooner. There are feeds specifically for this like Feather Fixer, etc, and you can give them a boost by feeding them scrambled eggs or tuna, but we just give them 1:1 layer feed mixed with turkey starter. We usually do this for the month of November and sometimes into December.

Thank you for the info. Meant to put in the original post but no we do not have a rooster.

How long does molting last? The feather loss has been going on for a number of months which is why I am thinking it may be plucking. Attached are some pictures from June and it has only gotten worse

The coop itself is 4'x4' with a run they have access to any time of 10' x 8'. They also free range occassionally (usually just on weekends).

 

[Dmm9979]

Thank you for the info. Meant to put in the original post but no we do not have a rooster.

How long does molting last? The feather loss has been going on for a number of months which is why I am thinking it may be plucking. Attached are some pictures from June and it has only gotten worse

The coop itself is 4'x4' with a run they have access to any time of 10' x 8'. They also free range occassionally (usually just on weekends).

The protein comment also makes sense - wonder if the RIRs are not laying due to trying to regrow feathers. I give them Purina Layena Pellets and have done eggs in the past

 

[AgnesGray]

The protein comment also makes sense - wonder if the RIRs are not laying due to trying to regrow feathers. I give them Purina Layena Pellets and have done eggs in the past

So in a small space also, when the forage runs out (bugs, grass), they will turn to eating feathers sometimes for extra protein.

I'd start with bumping the protein and see if that helps at all. Your BR hens are likely at the top of the pecking order and getting what they need off of the RIRs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Protein could be a factor but your set up is also small, and one sign of crowding stress is feather plucking (and those photos are definitely feather plucking, not molt). With 9 standard sized birds in 8x10, that doesn't leave any room for boredom busters or obstacles so birds can hide away from each other.

Can you possibly free range more to help keep them busy?