Help! Are these fertilized?!

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Well today it is 3 eggs so tomorrow I will let you know the magic number lol. And why do they all have the bare patch by the base of their spine ? So odd. Looks like new feathers may be coming in.
 
Well today it is 3 eggs so tomorrow I will let you know the magic number lol. And why do they all have the bare patch by the base of their spine ? So odd. Looks like new feathers may be coming in.
When hens have a bare patch like that, it is common to blame the rooster (overmating.)
But hens can try to "mate" with each other too, which is equally hard on their feathers, so it can happen even without a rooster.

And hens can pick feathers from each other too, either because they are bored, or to eat because they need more protein (feathers are made of protein), or just because they are chickens and do things that we sometimes don't understand.

Yes, new feathers typically do grow in. But whatever made them lose the feathers might make them lose the new feathers too.
 
My hens had depluming mites when they lost their saddle feathers. It may be that if it gets better in cold weather. I also had a welsummer hen that was picking that area bare on the rooster, but that was pretty obvious. She did it every chance she got.
 

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