Finding slot of feathers

[brusternme]

I am wondering what could be causing my girls to loose their feathers. Is there such a thing as spring molting? They are last years chicks. Or are they picking on one another? I have one hen sick, pale comb, possibly internally laying...not sure.

 

[DTRM30]

with feather loss and one with a pale comb I would be sure they don't have mites - mites feed on blood. The blood loss would be apparent with a pale comb. Also, mites can cause irritation that could cause feather loss in extreme cases.

Some mites live on the bird (northern fowl), others only come out only at night (red) to feed on them. Best time to check them is when roosting at night. Mites tend to congretate in the vent area - and you will notice a dirty looking appearance of the feathers. Sometimes they do go for the head, but most common is the vent area.

http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8162.pdf

Here is a link with info on mites.

Its the first thing I would look into. If you can feel sure you don't have mites - then start looking for other causes such as diet (poor diet can lead to feather eating/picking as well)

 

[brusternme]

Thank you so much! I will look into a mite problem. The article looks very interesting too!