Flock losing feathers on back and heads and not laying

[sebastianseven]

Hi,
my chickens are just over a year. In the spring I noticed that some of them were losing feathers on their heads. Then a couple had missing feathers on their backs. I just figured it was a molt. But now it is August and the feathers are just not growing back. It appears the ones around the bald spots are broken. And most of the flock now have missing /broken feathers on their backs. We had a rooster but got rid of it around 6-7 weeks ago. They have greatly decreased their laying, so I figured maybe mites. I've studied their bald spots pretty good and do not see anything. I power washed the coop and let it dry thoroughly and put DE in it (how much? I just sprinkled it around) and used pine chips. Any ideas of how I can find out what's wrong? Everyone is acting normal. I did sprinkle them good with poultry dust and gave them some wood ash for a dust bath. (but it rained.... should I put this inside?

 

[Whittni]

Do you have a rooster or roosters? Offer them sand or more ashes to bathe in, you might have to do it yourself. There's also this poultry spray stuff you can use if they have mites. The mites will keep coming back if you don't clean your coop and run for them, you have to change everything like bedding.

 

[sebastianseven]

Got rid of the rooster 6-7 weeks ago. Would you put the sand or ashes in some type of container of just on the floor of the coop? I did powder them with a poultry powder for mites.

 

[Whittni]

You kinda just put the sand/ashes in a corner of the run where they can dig in them, some people build a little box for it.

 

[GingerJane]

Still molting, some of my chickens molt around their belly's and tail feather areas, but then later on in the summer they start molting around their head and breast. Some chickens get delayed molting schedule's.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many times when hens are overmated by the rooster, they will lose feathers on their backs and necks that may not grow back in until their big first molt at around 18 months. You need to become good at finding mites on your chickens so theat you aren't treating for no reason. Their are mites and feather mites. There are many threads on backyard chickens to read if you just google "chicken mites." Here is so info on what to look for: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html

 

[GingerJane]

I thought you got rid of your rooster?

 

[Eggcessive]

She said she did get rid of him, but they still have feather loss.

 

[GingerJane]

Did the hens have lost feathers before you got rid of the rooster?

 

[sebastianseven]

Yes, GingerJane, some did. But now more have the same problem long after Roo is gone. It was logical when we had a rooster but now with new ones developing the same baldness pattern, not so much!