First off, this isn't an emergency (at least I hope not).
So I've got my flock down to one rooster and 20 hens, plus 3 hen ducks (the drake duck is in the garage with a few battle wounds, as I believe he was taking advantage of all the girls (all species) and my new rooster that got introduced a week or so ago didn't like that very much). Yet the chicken hens are losing feathers in the weirdest places: their crop area and thighs. I don't think it's molt, because I know a few of them already went through it in the fall/winter. It's like they are broken halfway down, at least on their thighs. The thigh feathers are down to the fluff, sort of like the butt fluff. And when they are roosting at night, I can actually see their skin through their sparse feathers when their crops are full.
Any idea what is causing this? It's a weird place for the feathers to be lost from mating, and I can't find a bug on them for the life of me (I have never had pests on them before). Should I try more protein in case they are picking out their own/each other's feathers for the protein?
Any suggestions would be great! Thank you!
PS: I could take pictures if needed, I just didn't have my phone on me. I've been noticing this for about a week now, though.
So I've got my flock down to one rooster and 20 hens, plus 3 hen ducks (the drake duck is in the garage with a few battle wounds, as I believe he was taking advantage of all the girls (all species) and my new rooster that got introduced a week or so ago didn't like that very much). Yet the chicken hens are losing feathers in the weirdest places: their crop area and thighs. I don't think it's molt, because I know a few of them already went through it in the fall/winter. It's like they are broken halfway down, at least on their thighs. The thigh feathers are down to the fluff, sort of like the butt fluff. And when they are roosting at night, I can actually see their skin through their sparse feathers when their crops are full.
Any idea what is causing this? It's a weird place for the feathers to be lost from mating, and I can't find a bug on them for the life of me (I have never had pests on them before). Should I try more protein in case they are picking out their own/each other's feathers for the protein?
Any suggestions would be great! Thank you!
PS: I could take pictures if needed, I just didn't have my phone on me. I've been noticing this for about a week now, though.